THE OCCUPATIONS OF ANIMALS 
T 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 
chaprassit. J 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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