Behaviour of Birds 



p. 529). In our advance on Peronne a pet 

 MAGPIE was found in the German trenches 

 and was promptly appropriated by its captor. 

 Acting on the adage of " set a thief to catch 

 a thief," a MAGPIE became the devoted 

 guardian of a soldier's tent (The Sphere, 

 29.iii.i9). 



The attacks on aeroplanes delivered by the 

 JACKDAWS of St. Omer have already been 

 recorded. 



SKYLARKS might at times be seen singing 

 over trenches in which two armies were at 

 death-grips, but they always sang in spite of 

 everything (Daily Express, 23.^.17); in fact, 

 the song of the SKYLARK at dawn over " No- 

 man's-land " was as usual as the song of the 

 sniper's bullet (Daily News and Leader, 

 22.iv.i6). SKYLARKS could be heard sing- 

 ing on the Somme, well in advance of the 

 large guns, whenever there was a lull in the 

 almost incessant fire (Times, n.vi.i6), and 

 they might often be seen soaring to " Heaven's 

 gate " when aeroplanes above were being 

 vigorously shelled by anti-aircraft guns (Star, 

 3.vii.i6). As a soldier-poet wrote : 



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