no Across the Channel. 



parts tan. lie was annoyed at l)ein^ made to pose and would 

 not stand np, so the ])hoto>4rapli does not show his heii^'ht ; he 

 stands rather higher than om' Tawny ( )wl and is rather a lar- 

 ger Ijird. His <lict is the same as that of my other owls. 

 Thoui^h a tro])ical bird he seems (piite indifferent to cold and 

 has stood this hard winter without turning a hair. 



<-M^> 



Across the Channel. 



Su))ie7i'he)'c Ui Fnuice. 

 Bv LiKL'T. 1'"raxk Dawsox-Smith. 



1 am scribbling- a few notes how and when I can, just to 

 show 1 have not forgotten my " Bird Notes " among other 

 other pleasant items left behind in Blighty. As it is all written 

 more or less under difficulties I nmst rely upon you to excuse 

 any defects of composition or rounded periods. 



1 am not going to write about the war. In the first place 

 it is a forbidden subject, and also you can read all about it in 

 your daily paper better than I can describe it in this. Xo, I 

 am going to tell you about the myriad birds 1 have encountered 

 since I came out to the front. 1 wish I could make you visual- 

 ize the tremendous contrasts one is brought face to face with 

 when marching long distances. The contrast, for instance, 

 between the war-scarred areas, and the little villages which lie 

 like jewels, in the emerald setting of spring, far from the voice 

 of the guns. And the variety of birds make a strong appeal 

 to an aviculturist like myself. Magpies are extraordinarily 

 common, particularly in a certain place which has been utterly 

 destroyed by the Huns, not a wall left standing now ! Round 

 here the long-tailed black and white magpie met us at every 

 turn, and his nests of sticks were prominent objects in tree and 

 hedge. I climbed up to several nests which contained eggs, 

 the old bird sitting very close, and evidently understanding 

 that I came as a friend meaning no harm. One nest I had 

 under observation for quite a long time as it was in a tree close 

 to my billet — a ruined barn. 'I'his. by the way, was quite "ban/' 

 except one night wlien a thunderstorm let loose a torrent of 

 rain, waking me out of a deep sleep and a dream of " Blighty." 



