Shanghai, April 15—Three of us wore dis-Jcussing' the question of wild bird-song yester-Jéay, and I was pleased to have it confirmed by Jothers that a great variety is noticeable as regards the type of note and song produced birds of the same species: also that birds different neighbourhoods acquire special habits of enunciation and song, presumably due to their immediate surroundings: the "local lbiackbird is a special exemplar of this peculiar-and a few examples are worth mentioning.
in Jessiteld: Park there is one blackbird with, very powerful voice who used to commertee Jail his performances with the call, "Tweeky-Hweeky-fteecky". pronounced very Howly and learefully in a descending scale: but for some known ranson he has now changed his call to something like "Yool-aim (repeated very cheerfully) and all the other birds are now [copying him. Others at the St. John's end of the park have started to imitate ihe Arst few notes Jot the oriole's call, now the fashion fable call in the North-western area. The blackbird in my garden is a most disappointing per= {former: except on special occasions in the very learly morning, his idea of a rollicking song is to sit in a tree and call "Chih-yeh chih-yeh, Ichihveh®; at one time my neighbour used to be continually whistling for his dog. and. the bird imitated him perfectly; but this neighbour has now given up whistling the has. probably. ost some teeth, just as T have) so the Blackbird. has given up whistling and says nothing but "chitveh." A bird in a willow tree in the [Avenue Haig is the finest songster 1 know in [Shanghai. and one of my friends says that the loudest and most continuous singing from blackbirds comes from the municipal nursery on the Hungjao Rood: this may be due to emulation lof the efforts of the Blind School brass band [across the road,...but that is merely conjecture, Shanghai, April 11—Entered into a Aeree argument the other day about Friday being an funlueky day and Gnished up to find myself {quoting that great expert Mother Goose who Heals with all such matters of country lore, We all know that one. Solomon Grundy was forse on Friday, Saturday born on a Monday which Is a fairly lucky da; [When it comes to cutting your finger: Friday is bad day because you "cut them for sorrow": Monday and Tuesday are good days. for you cut them respectively for health for wealth, while Sunday ix the forbidd Jday which will bring you bad luck for all week wre. But the and 1 must put MIN. Goose puts it this way. Monday's child is fair of face, Tuesday's child full of grace, Wednesday's child is full. woe, and Thursday's child hax far to go: Fri [day's child is loving and giving, Saturday's d works hard for a living....but the child that fx born on the Sabbath Day is fair and wise jand good and gay a Scottish version says! "blithe and bonny." but that is neither hither nor thither so far as my argument is concerned). Having established the above from the most felassical source available. 1 was somewhat shaken to find the Cornish version which com: plicates by starting with Sunday and says, [Sunday's child is full of grace, Monday's child full in the face. Tuesday's child Is. solemn land sad, Wednesday's child is merry and ala [Thursday's child is inclined to thieving. Friday child is free in giving, while Saturday's child works hard for his living. Now. the whole point Iam getting at is that. while there is really nothing wrong with a when it comes to cutting your best people choose Sunday "for their first birthday. And T mos' mention, Ty. in passing. as it were, that {was born on 2 Sunday.
A car T know went wrong once, but he's Jeoing straight now, writes Max Miller. As a matter of fact, he pinched a lot of dough about fifteen years ayo.
Well, he fell in love with a girl, and she said Jshe'd marry him.
Then he thought he ought to confess about what he'd done fifteen years ago. He had an idea shed forgive him for being so honest.
"Darling." he said, "I've got a confession to mace. Once T stole £3,000."
"Really?" she said, very excited.
"And how Jmuch of it is left?
'Shanghai. Aprit 18—The name "Jay" is very loosely applied to many birds and might be said to be given to any' bird having a reputation for mischief and wickedness. The true Jay of [China (Garrulus sinensis) is not seen in Shang-hal, but I have seen it often as near to us Hangchow: thus, ax we have no true Jays in this city, It is quite natural for people to call four Pied Magpie a Jay, and to refer to our beautiful Azure-winged Magpie ax the Blue Jay.
'America many similar birds are referred to Jas Jays: their Common or Blue) Jay is also' failed "Corn: Thief" and "Nest Robber"
Imperial Gout On the rest of the human race gout has a weakening effect, but on British statesmen it sets as an Imperialist stimulant."—This statement was made recently by an Italian paper in connection with ME. Chamberlain's Keown as "Imperial. Go Gan never be disputed." Tis" Intuenee on his PAU the Elder, palngul gouty feet, Gave Britain world supremacy By her victorious fet: Then, one generation later, As Minister of War, ith Ngnting mien Great Champion of Unpetial Right rear Champion of Iimperisl Rights, Vigorous and doughty.
Lord Palmerston made Britain feared while there is another so-called Jay who is actually accused of being an addict to alcohol he is the Canada Jay, otherwise known ax "Whiskey Jack" because, in the quaint lof the country, "he always looks a fuddled": he is' also affectionately referred to Jas "Camp Robber" because he literally' steals [the bacon (rom under the noses of his admiring. [American friends. All of which reminds me: that birds of the Jay type are said by the! Inegroes of the Southern States to disappear: Jevery day at the hour of the siesta in order to consult with their particular friend, the Devit, concerning future mischief, and that they are seen sneaking out of the woods on their return from Hell somewhere about first-drink time the afternoon. This seems to me quite a reasonable story, because it is a fact that one [seldom sees birds of this type in the early' afternoon: one wonders, indeed, if the negro' legend does not also apply here...and that our Jays" do not go off to some local Hell to meet their own particular Devil for the furtherance lof mischief'... so far as 1 can sce they' would not have far to go.
Whose" highest fights of eloquence Were reached with this. fiction: Now. next in (urn comes Chambertavn As, hobbling with a silk, He shows the world his gouty foot Sun has a mighty ick.
"Gott strafe England." with one accord The Naz legions shout: They might Well change to "Gott help us Churchill gets, the gout. [Evening Telegram." St. Joli's, Newfoundland.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.