7 EFFECT OF AIR-RAIDS AND AIR- 

 CRAFT ON BIRDS 



I WILL continue to confine my remarks 

 to the effect of the War on birds as 

 regards Great Britain. In a subsequent 

 chapter I shall deal with observations on 

 birds in the actual war zones, but I now pro- 

 pose to record how air-craft, gun-fire, air- 

 raids, and the like affected birds, particularly 

 in this country. 



That birds should regard an aeroplane, 

 especially one of the monoplane type, as a 

 huge FALCON, or other RAPTOR, might be con- 

 sidered as not only probable but natural, and 

 there are numerous records of birds being 

 obviously terrified by them (Scottish Natural- 

 ist, 1916, pp. 39, 164). GULLS, in the early 

 days of the War, were sadly put about and 

 scared by aeroplanes that hovered over the 

 Breydon flats, but they soon began to pay 

 no heed to them (Zoologist, 1915, p. 95). On 



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