Behaviour of Birds 
the bush stood was nder fire from both sides, 
and actually served as a sanctuary for the 
birds (Times, I1.vi.16). 
Round the caricature of St. Martin’s Cathe- 
dral at Ypres a faithful remnant of civic 
PIGEONS still, in 1917, told of ancient peace 
(Observer, 12.1.0). 
A fair-sized orchard, directly between our 
lines and the enemy’s and frequently swept by 
both rifle and artillery fire, seemed the favour- 
ite promenade for CocK PHEASANTS (Bird 
Notes and News, vol. vi. p. 88). The familiar 
‘“‘chuk-up, chuc-chuc-cup”’ of a CocK PHEA- 
SANT going to roost could be heard nightly 
in June r918 in a clump of willows which 
lay about 50 yards to the rear of the support 
trenches at Ypres. This clump was daily 
plastered with a few shells in the vain hope 
of finding some 18-pounders. [Fach day, it 
was expected, would prove the PHEASANT’S 
last; but no—sooner or later in the evening 
the Germans would get the same sound 
advice, ‘“‘Shuck-up’’ (Observer, 5.1.19). In 
many places PHEASANTS were conspicuous 
by their absence; possibly this was due to 
128 
