One of the objects I had in mind when I started the present series of articles last October was to supplement the observations on the seasonal changes in the weather and the reactions to them of birds, insects, plants and other forms of life in my garden, which were reported in my former series appearing in the "North-China Daily News" from the end of May to the middle of October in 1938 under the title of "Nature Notes." It was intended week by week to keep track of weather changes as winter came on and passed, noting what happened in this area as a result.
Unfortunately for this project the present winter, at least as far as Shanghai is concerned, has been altogether abnormal. One might almost go as far as to say that up to now there has been practically no winter here, so consistently mild has the weather been in comparison with that which usually prevails at this time of year. Not only has it been mild, but it has also been fine, with very little rain, but few cloudy days and no snow at all, except for a few flakes reported by a radio announcer to have fallen on January 26, the last day of the Chinese Lunar year. There has been frost om only a few nights. range guns round the Channel ports and Throughout the whole winter hardly a day has, passed on which I have not seen insects of some kind or other flying in my garden. Amongst these have been several kinds of dipterous flies, bees and innumerable mos-quitees, the last dancing in swarms in the air the way they do when mating. Salvias, cannas and marigolds were still blooming in December, when I also saw at least three different kinds of butterflies flitting about over these flowers and enjoying the warm sunshine. These were the little blue, the common white cabbage but-tortly and the brown fritillary. My goldfish pond, in which the fish have been very active all the winter instead of lying in huddled groups at tthe bottom, has been covered but once with ice, and then it was- only with a very thin film. That was, on the day of the "Great Cold," or Ta. Han, of the Chinese farmers' Solar or hi ana fare ' cidentally, it fs interesting to note that this date en, -and—that ¢ Nature calendar, w with fell on, January 20. In-.
is not coincided with a sudden sharp fall in the tem-doubt but that all perature in this area, with snow reported in north China. This once more testifies to the accuracy of this calendar, according to which it what if it does cee next Tuesday will be Li Chun, or the "Beginning of Spring." It will be interesting to see very serious peril it any noticeable change in the weather takes ala not attack us then is the big mystery—'k—why Hitler did place on this day.
The absence of any marked changes in the Sand having smashed the aerial blitzkrieg, are weather this winter, with the exception of a iwo in of falling back into the com-brief and not very severe colg spell late in December and the one just mentioned in January, naturally has resulted in a more or less uniform behaviour all through the winter season on the part of the various birds that occur in our gardens, so that there has been nothing to report. One cannot observe and des-cribo the behaviour of birds in snow when there is no snow, or in stormy wintry weather when t through Bream's Buildings there is nothing but sunshine.
GA Thus, as an intended record of animal and Fetter Lane and Chancery Lane) plant life in this general region througftout the first time since that neighbourhood winter, these articles of mine must be consider-it" The mess made was considered of little value. I do not want,"however, the 7 no buildings were actually winter to slip by without recording some of the jut there were some bad interesting things I have noted during the past return later I should not have four months. work by the- collapse of France, have been brought to London,, where their work is a wonder to behold. Bus services are running well along accustomed routes in fact almost too well. In order to cope with any possible dislocation of the underground several thousand buses have been imported from the But as Mancunians like to see their'skies full of smoke and soot, so bie sce Ree irre! to have their streets than empty. Therewas something weird and unwholesome about the emptiness of the streets in the-war's earlier days.
Meanwhile the cleaning-up is very welcome: Its psychological effect is great and the sooner you get on to the sorting out Seren of a pile of rubbish the more here is.
The announcement that Guilsborough House in the centre of the Pytchley Hunt illu Northamptonshire with all its contents was to be put up to auction caused a real "sensation, opening up as it did suggestions "óf espionage worthy of the best romance. Guildsborough House was for several years formerly frequent visits to Germany but always maintained that he pretoned to live in England, both for general reasons and particularly for the hunting.
He evidently had lots of money, for he and his wife (a Chilean) entertained on the most sumptuous scale and were very popular in the most fashionable hunting world. Everything-he had was of the best, horses, guns and -clothes. He spoke English perfectly and seemed to regard England as his native country. And then just before the war broke out he disappeared to Germany and has never returned. It is generally taken for granted that he had been doing some very high-class spying (of the "Thirty-nine Steps" order). Whether he found out anything worth having he and Hitler know. But evidently the latter thought it worth while to pay him well:
It will be remembered that I reported the appearance in my garden of the Daurian redstart (Poentcurus aurOreus, Pallas) just before Christmas. I now have to report the presence here for two or three days about a week ago of handsome member of the thrush family.
This was the pale ouzel or thrush (Turdus pallidus Gmelin), which may at once be distinguished from all the other thrushes that occur in this district by the conspicuous white tips to its tail feathers. It is this unusual marking, perhaps, that gives the bird its handsome and dressy appearance, for the rest of its plumage is of a dull olive-brown and grey above, white below.
With us the pale ouzel is a winter visitor only, spending its summer in Korea, Manchuria and even as far north as Amurland in eastern Siberia, Actually it pushes on a good deal further south than the region of the Yangtze Delta in its southward migration, for it has been recorded during the winter from Fukien Province in south-eastern China and even from Assam in French Indo-China. It is a far cry from Assam to Amurland. La Touche recorded this ouzel during the spring migration from Shaweishan Island, at the mouth of the Yangtze, which indicates the route it takes on its northward journey. Probably it follows the Chinese coast-line as far as the Shantung Promontory and then crosses over to Korea and so north fo Manchuria and Amurland-
I usually see specimens of this species in my garden once or twice during the winter. Perhaps it would come more often if the blackbirds would allow it to do so. But the latter are intolerant of its presence, and drive it off as soon as it appears. This is probably because it feeds upon the same things as the blackbirds do, and so is a dangerous rival where such food is never too: plentiful. Being somewhat smaller than: the-blackbirds it can offer little resistance, but beats a hasty retreat whenever one of the latter birds shows up.
For several days running I have heard the cry of Whiteley's owlet (Glauctd'um cuculoides whiteleyi, Blyth) very early in the mornings before daylight: not the chattering stridulant cry with which this fierce little night marauder shatters the stillness of the evening air as it wakes from its daytime sleep and starts on its night's hunting, but the long-drawn plaintive quavering call of extraordinary sweetness with which it hails its mate. I cannot help a feeling gf poignancy creeping over me when I hear call answering call of these little owls in the vicinity of my house in the small hours of the morning as they seek their hide-outs for the day in the trees in a neighbouring garden. Not long after come the first liquid notes of the blackbird, which has already begun its four o'clock morn-
"There is an outcry against profiteers. Not the manufacturers of aeroplanes and guns, ing song.
Another bird I have heard lately is the spotted or pied woodpecker (Dryobates cabanist, Malherbe), It has not been its cry that I have
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.