Sufferings of Birds 



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 encouraged in 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 " (Daily 

 Mail, ii.xi.is). Some time later the Par- 

 liamentary Air Committee suggested that 

 army aeroplanes should be designated as 



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