PRUDENCE AND SLOTH 35 



holes for a hasty breakfast, the magpies fiit from nest to 

 nest determined, even in their hurry lest the coming storm 

 should destroy their incomplete labours, that the secret of 

 true nest and false nest shall not be discovered. The 

 squirrel wastes no time in daintiness, but eats what he can 

 find, and all Nature, even while the birds are singing, 

 prepares for a wet day. 



Even more marvellous perhaps, although so universal as 

 almost to escape notice, is the intuitive knowledge which 

 animals possess of the passage of Time. It is impossible to 

 delude the commonest rooster as to the hour of dawn ; 

 crow he will, even if kept in Cimmerian darkness and 

 solitude. A very remarkable instance of this curious 

 faculty occurred in two young Pallas sandgrouse which 

 Fate sent to my care as little gold and brown chenille 

 balls just escaped from the eggs. The most fragile of 

 beautiful dainty babies, wide-eyed, fearless, obstinate, as 

 they stood huddled together on my warm palm refusing 

 all food. However, a natural history book (mercifully 

 with me in camp) reminded me that they were of the 

 pigeon tribe, and so before evening, after a good supper 

 of artificial "pigeon's milk" (taken with much fluttering 

 of ridiculous downy winglets from my mouth) I was able 

 with comparative hope to put the little orphans into a 

 cotton-quilted cardboard box, and place it for warmth 

 under my pillow. 



There was not a sound until the first hint of the dawn 

 came to the wide stretches of river-land in which the tent 

 stood silent, closed down for the chill night to utter darkness. 

 Then from behind my pillow, waking me from sleep, 

 came with a clear precision nothing short of wonderful, 



D 2 



