THE OCCUPATIONS OF ANIMALS 



IT is pleasant to recline in the shade of a stately 

 deodar with no company but one's thoughts, and 

 thus to gaze at the purple wreaths of tobacco 

 smoke as they ascend towards the blue heavens. 

 It is sweet to experience the cool Himalayan breeze 

 direct from the snowy mountains that fill the northern 

 landscape. It is very soothing to listen to the sleepy 

 hum of the insects, and to watch the little birds as 

 they flit from branch to branch of the neighbouring 

 trees. How desperately busy these tiny feathered 

 creatures seem to be ! They move as though their life 

 were a race against time. Yet they have nothing to 

 do save seek their food, which abounds on all sides. 

 As I contemplate them I ask myself the old, old ques- 

 tion, How is it that birds and beasts manage to pass 

 through life without succumbing to ennui, or, at least, 

 without being bored nearly to death ? To me the life 

 of a bird is incomprehensible, but then so is that of a 

 chaprassi. I admit that I am at present doing nothing ; 

 but I shall soon grow weary of this. 'Dolce far niente ' 

 for a short time. 



Animals, as a rule, do not loaf; it is not thus that 

 they solve the problem. Loafing is an art which but 



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