Change of Habit due to War 



Barrage " anti-aircraft gun-stations. " The 

 beastly bird learnt to imitate the alarm whistle 

 to a nicety/' said the gun commander ; " on 

 several occasions he turned me out in pyjamas 

 and, when the crew had manned the gun, 

 gave vent to a decided chuckle " (Evening 

 Standard, i8.vi.i8). The COCKS and HENS 

 of a French farmyard are said to have learned 

 to make a noise exactly like that of a falling 

 "dud" shell, and it would indeed prove a 

 valuable addition to Darwin's instances of 

 domestic instincts if this imitation could be 

 shown to be transmitted as a fixed habit in 

 the HEN'S progeny (Times, 29.v.i6). It is 

 conceivable that birds bred within the battle 

 area and reared amongst all the turmoil of 

 war may have acquired an innate indifference 

 to terrific noises which they may impart to 

 their progeny, successive generations of which 

 might be expected, if wars continue, to be- 

 come progressively more indifferent to their 

 abnormal conditions. But this conception, 

 which is without any substantiation by ex- 

 perience, has still to be proved. 

 SEA-GULLS, rendered ravenous by hard 



157 



