Weihaiwei, Oct, 7—It is curious to note how Practically all animals can conceive an affee= ton for inanimate objects. A' dog will hide his favourite bone under your sofa. eushions—if you let him—z a cat will cling toa cotton reel (been use it's almost as good as a mouse to play with); cattle and horses seem to fall in love with' certain gates which they" will stand by for hours ata. time: Mogpier are fascinated by sticks, and will use them of a decoration fo their favourite chimney. Shanghai Magpies have long ago dealt with my chimneys there, and now their Weihaiwei relations are dealing with the. chimney-tops here (I have Chinese chimneys with a decorated oot, but that does not deter them from placing their favourite twigs in the square holes Srom which the smoke emerges "a dirty Job, but the birds seem to ike 10." In my own ease T confess to. a weakness "for clocks (whose friendly faces seem {0 me to have a lot more intelligence than many other faces 1 know) Dut above all T have a great affection for a walking stick which cut myself from a tree of my own growing: it is an ugly rough and tough article, not straight, and with the handle at the wrong angle; so rough and tough in fact that my American. friends never think of Ye= ferring to it as a "cane".. and that is some thing for which T om duly thankful: it is out about three inches longer than the average length, which iv correct for any hill-walking stick (extra length gives extra thrust for either up or down-hill walking): it has. travelled with me through all "sorts of country for thousands of miles: "It tests deep snow to keep me from unseen holes in winter; it pushes me steep hills in the heat of summer; It saves me from slipping on rock or scree; it friend of a lifetime and 1 call i "Old Faithful, Nol You could have my jowelled cufflinks for half-arerown (if T happened to own any) but you could not buy my walking-stick for Pounds One Hundred Sterling!—r.s.w.
Wethaiwel, Oct, 9—~Bird life has been a dit dull here this October. and L have not seen much of the migrants during the past week: 1 surprised a Streaked Grasshopper-Warbler the other day among the now rapidly disappearing peanut vines: but there is little cover for the malice migrants now, six all main crepe except the sweet potatoes have been gathered in. Ax regards the larger birds T have been told by friends that they have seen scores of Sparrow hawks (perhaps hundred in-all) congregated in one large Toosting-tree at sundown: this something T have never seen myself as T xener= ally' find these birdy migrating: in small parties The Magpice which ronde here are. beginning to adopt their winter habit of roosting in large parties at night, but during the day they con= {inue to roam ihe hills and valleys. in. small family groups: these which come daily to my arden "gave" mean amusing exhibition the other day which is worth recording) plain that a wild-looking grey and black "tabby" with long while socks on the forelegs comes almost daily in search of small birds which re~ gard my compound as a saneluary: it is a large feat with high pointed ears and looks more like wildcat than a domesticated "pussy": It is, fact, a ieee of work. Anyway, T working in my "ofice" in the eottaye when loud Magpie shrieks from the roof warned me that something was amiss: unable to endure the Eacophony any longer, I stepped out to sind "White-socks" stalking' baby sparrows beneath the birdbath....1 heaved a stone in the right direction, When the eat disappeared just 3 swiftly ax a rabbit appears from a conjurer's bhat: I started to walla indoors to resume work but the Magpies were not satisfied: in fact they' shrieked louder than ever, so T returned tothe scone of batlle....and found White-socks stretched out on a low stone wall like a (Chinese) flattened duck. She sprang up and disappeared Into the ravine, Then the Magpies ceased to chatter and flew off into the orchard Yo resume their Jawiul oceasions.—Es.Ww.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.