Sufferings of Birds 
Sot ae gr 
state of tension with legs and wings stiff. 
As the raids became more frequent, however, 
the birds seemed to become more accustomed 
to them, and their behaviour could no longer 
be depended on as a warning of approaching 
aircraft. JACKDAWS were observed, in a 
French town, to leave their homes in the 
steeples and throw themselves upon aero- 
planes, clinging to them and attacking them 
with their beaks as if to drive away these 
gigantic and unknown birds of prey (Bird 
Notes and News, vol. vii. p. 105). The fact 
that PARROTS were employed, early in the 
war, to announce the approach of hostile 
aircraft to Paris, has already been recorded 
when dealing with birds as messengers. 
A friendly rivalry in supplying aeroplanes 
was encouragedin our Colonies. The planters 
of Ceylon conceived the idea of naming their 
gifts after birds, thus their first three contri- 
butions were christened ‘‘ PADDY-BIRD,”’ 
‘“‘DEVIL-BIRD,’ and ‘‘ NIGHTJAR”’ (Datly 
Mail, 11.xi.15). Some time later the Par- 
liamentary Air Committee suggested that 
army aeroplanes should be designated as 
82 
