NATURE STUDY.

Hokitika Guardian, 9 October 1923, Page 3

NATURE STUDY.

In “At Home with Wild Nature'' Mr Richard Kearioii. the well-known naturalist, has set down the results ol some of his observations in the British countryside, elueliy in Surrey. All is fish to Mi Kealion's net—birds, rabbi: s, moles. snake- - -ami Reynard, the lox, and he writes ol thorn all with sympathy and knowledge. He mentions some strange superstitions about wild life wliieb still persist in rural England. Thus many a Inrmer iconvinced i Lai il he kill- redbreast hi- e.iws will give blood msleail of milk. Jenny Wien- perhaps Iron) the associations of the. nursery rhyme is populai'lv supposed to he the wile (.T ( irk Robin. There are people who firmly believe that the cuckoo does not migrate ni all, blit evade.- lie; diilii all ics and danger- oi a hu'g. tiresome Ili-Jic H, Africa by remaining al home during tbe winter disguised as a hawk! I'll another interesting chapter Mr K cation deals uiiii accidents lo wild birds. itir.ls have enemies nil llle ea it h and in the air who prey upon them, but olio does not usually think o|' (hem as being subject lo accidents.

when suddenly changing direction, a bird may break a wing. Mr Keartoi. has known unwary water owl to have their leet caught in the elos.ng sheiks of mussels. Not infrequently small birds get entangled in horsehair or string used, in their nesl-. and being unable lo free themselves starve to death. Not long ago in London a pigeon met. this (ale. lo swim bk" a duck is a proverbial expression. nut Mr Kearlon has seen .lurks drown in a rough mountain torrent, and once he beheld a number of young ones dive beneath tlie surface of a Scottish lake and perish miserably, imprisoned in masses of aquatic weeds. But the most fertile source of accident is collision—.collision with telegraph wires, buildings, or speeding motor ears. .And one of the niosl remarkable examples that Hie author gives is that ol a flock of -tailings which recently collided with a railway engine m Wales. Their impact, was powerful enough to apply the vacuum brakes and bring the whole train to a standstill. Mr Korn lon dismisses tic much-de-bated our.-lion ol the meolaluy ol wild animal -. DoinesLicaied creatures are ".morally eoitsiderad to be more i lit ellig.mt than their wild congeners, bill ibis probable because limy are snlij,.< i i i o|ii-or observation. Tlie nuiiior is rather guarded in bis conclusions. Ci'rtaiiily birds eatm.it count. They eaimoi nndor-tand the properties ol gla- ■, bm tinner persistently and vainly agaiu-i window panes. For many action, which suggest the possession ~f reasoning power, instinct. i< really responsible. Many wild animals are positively stupid at times. But while Mr Kearlon is not inclined lo allow that they pu'-es. much ability, he admits that every now and again they do things which seem to betoken a measure of intelligence. However, he cannot agree with certain Continental naturalists, who credit them with a moral sense. He does not believe tlie stories of mot her birds slain as a penalty for marital infidelity. Here I- one of them. A French surgeon once took a clutch of stork's eggs from the ni'si ami replaced them with an equal number laid by a barn-door fowl. In due season the chicks were hatched. AYhen the old male stork saw them lie .summoned a great crowd of hi, kind, the supposed delinquent was tried and condemned, and as a punishment for her misconduct was literally torn to pieces. The hook is illustrated by many noteworthy phniograp.' ol the wild, in which the sitters are quite unconscious that they are being snapped, fn procuring these Mr Kearlon was helped by his brother. Captain Cherry Koarton, who is as successful a photographer of small game as he is of big