92 



Bird Notes and News 



Stokies or Swallows. 



The Swallow is another bird that has 

 naturally appealed to the heart of men in the 

 battlefield, winning attention few of these 

 " familiar guests " receive at home. One is 

 noted as having built in an Armstrong hut 

 inhabited by a major of artillery, whose duty 

 it was to see that his battery of howitzers 

 " strafed " the Hindenburg line at intervals 

 of about three minutes. " Occasionally on 

 special occasions the guns fired incessantly 

 all night long. The battery was situated in 

 a small ruined and deserted village. The 

 major's ' house ' was only sixty or seventy 

 yards from his guns. With each discharge 

 the air concussion— quite apart from the 

 crash of the report — was such that the little 

 building rocked, and, indeed, almost jumped. 

 The nest was situated inside the hut, at the 

 end most distant from the door, and about 

 three feet above the major's bed, within easy 

 reach of his hand. The birds flew in and out 

 of the hut quite fearlessty during the day, and 

 l^oth they and the major slept soundly at 

 iiight on the best of terms with one another, 

 tiuring all this abominable racket," 



A correspondent of the i^cotsman writes 

 of " some fascinating moments spent in 

 watching two families of Swallows," reared 

 in the rafters of a ruined shed ; and the 

 Notts Guardian (Aug. 18) publishes a similar 

 letter from a soldier in the trenches — 



" It has been a vile week, quite in keeping 

 with our usual luck when starting a " push " 

 — cold, windy, and wet. But I have had 

 some enjoyment in watching the young 

 swallows and martins. The second and last 

 broods are out now practising and getting 

 strong for their long trip south which is fast 

 approaching. One set of five baby swallows 

 have taken possession of a loop of telephone 

 wire hangmg between two battered pear trees 

 just outside my store. 



" The progress they have made in less than 

 a week is wonderful. Last Tuesday I noticed 

 them out for the first time battling against 

 the wind and flying about a dozen yards at a 

 time. The earlier attempts were very weak, 

 and they were blown from tree to tree. One 

 little creature was actually blown inside my 

 store. 



" All day they seemed to be going tlirough 

 gymnastic exercises, and at the end of the day 

 they were able to sit securely on the swaying 

 wire. This henceforth was their favourite 

 perch, and five little fumiy things they looked 

 all bunched together like balls. 



" When the parent came, immediately a 

 wholesale squeaking started and a rapid 

 fluttermg of wings and tails. The mouths 

 opened to such an extent that the heads were 

 lost behind the yellow gapes. It was quite 

 marvellous to notice how each one was fed in 

 turn wdthout the parent perching once. For 

 two whole days this mode of feeding con- 

 tinued, with everj^ minute or two a short 

 flight round, 



" The third day the mother fluttered about 

 two yards above them. It was the funniest 

 thing imaginable. There, on the wire, were 

 five agitated little thmgs with gaping mouths, 

 working their wings and tails to keep their 

 balance, exiDectmg to be fed, and the tan- 

 talising mother refusing to approach. At 

 last one little hero fluttered up and took its 

 food in the air, which method was henceforth 

 adopted. 



" The fourth day they had reached the 

 stage of flying ofl' to meet the breadwinner, 

 even as far as ten yards away, and it was 

 most amusing to watch the number of false 

 starts for an adult bird that wouldn't own 

 them. I was looking forward to to-day's 

 performance, but it was cancelled ' owing to 

 the exigencies of the service,' for a bad 

 signaller had arrived early this morning and 

 had taken away the line, so that mj'^ little 

 friends were missing. 



" But I lift my cap to them, for they gave 

 me great pleasure during a most miserable 

 week." 



Kestrels in Macedonia. 



An R.A.M.C. officer writes in the Hospital 

 (July 14)- 



" The Kestrels are nesting in the roofs 

 of the houses in nearly every village. 

 They compete for sites with the Jack- 

 daws. Squabbles are common between the 

 two species, but on the whole relations are 

 friendly. I have seen a pair of Kestrels, a 

 pair of Turtledoves, and a couple of pairs of 



