WITHOUT PREJUDICE

Dominion, Volume 21, Issue 85, 9 January 1928, Page 8

WITHOUT PREJUDICE

NOTES AT RANDOM

(By

T.D.H.)

Britain’s bad weather seems to be settling dqjvn into a climate.

Rear-Admiral Magruder, of the United States Navy, who is nov iu hot water in Washington in consequence of a magazine article written by him, is a very downright gentleman. It has been contended that he acted ir. a most improper manner as an officer on the active list in writing an article alleging gross extravagance in the navy and thereby virtually condemning all his superior ’ 'officers. The people of the United States, the Admiral declares, have not been getting value for the money spent on the navy. “L. atn an Admiral of the ‘upper half,’ aud <1 got there without the influence of politics, petticoats, or anything but merit. lam grateful to the United States Navy for taking me, a poor country boy, and making me an Admiral, but I am not going to be muzzled. What I said in that article was the plain, unvarnished God’s truth, and I am going to stand back of it to the last spar. The truth is they are spending money ’ like hell and getting little for it. The navy is spending 300,090,000 dollars and getting 200,000,000 dollars’ worth of navy.”

The recent importation of nightingales into New Zealand by no means represents the first attempt to acclimatise this bird, for three previous efforts are recorded by Mr. G. M. ■ Thomson in his “Nationalised Animals and Plants of New Zealand.” In 1871 theOtago Acclimatisation Society had a number of nightingales shipped from London, but all died after a few dtys at sea. Four years later the Auckland Society had exactly a similar experience, but in 1879 'the Canterbury Acclimatisation Society succeeded, in Ending one bird alive iu Christchirch where, it died soon after. “The. nightingale is a purely migratory species in Britain,” adds Mr. Thomson, ’''and any attempt to naturalise it’in ’New Zealand was foredoomed to failure.” Although over 130 different kinds of European birds have been introduced into the Dominion at different times, only 27 or 28. species have established themselves,. Commenting on this, Mr. Thomson says“ There s’ one curious fact which never seems to. have entered into the minds of most, if not all, of the acclimatisation enthusiasts, <- viz., the migratory character of the species which it was sought lb establish in this new land. This applies especially; of course, to birds. It probably ' .explains the failure. of certain species to become established here. Thus the blackcap and the nightingale are summer visitors only in the British Isles, the former wintering in Southern Europe, Northern ar.d Tropical Africa, and the latter in .tropical Africa. Only a very few exsmples of these two species were introduced, but it would not have mattered Jiow many had been successfully conveyed to New Zealand and liberated, the result must have been the same.. After a time the birds would almost certainly have be» come possessed of the <desire. to migrate to a warmer climate;,'but having na hereditary line of migration to follow thev would probably have proceeded northwards and perished at sea.” . j* • » • “There is no infbrmatou at all,’ adds Mr. Thomson, “as tc the effect of the migratory instinct or birds wnica have been taken from ttnir own country to a totally different hemisphere.' We can only assume tint the desire to migrate would cane on them strongly, and if so, it wmld inevitably prove fatal, to them m m island country like New Zealand. Seebohm (in “Siberia in Asia,” p. 196). states that the migration of birds follows ancient coast lines. The migration from l the south coast of Denmark over Heligoland to the coast of bticolnsllire seems to correspond so exactly with what tl geologists tell us must have been the old coast line, that it is difficult to be lieife it is . only a coincidence. Some of the birffi introduced into New Zealand, such as the are partially migratory in Britaini, that is to saw- some varieties “‘gjate to the Continent of Europe and others d not Whether tlie birds brought to New Zealand- were of the m.gratory kind or otherwise nobody, of CO rs , knows but the inference is that probably the ones thjt established tliemselveg were non-nj-gratory. The thrush has found its war far and wide about New Zealand, and has firmly established itself in the Chatham Islands, -400 Affiles distant, aid on the Kermadecs, GOO miles away. ' For months jast all America, lias been debating tie meaning of Coolidge’s statement, Ido not chcgse to run for Pnsident m. .1928- Did this mean that Mr; CooWge detoiter' would not be., a candidate, or did it mean that fie yould prefer not to be> a candidate? It is recalled that ( Sherman in toswer to a. sim'Hr ques tion as to the Presidency, declared that he would not stand if « o J n,n^ d ’ would not serve if elected. Mr. Cool idge has dore nothing, but repeat hu cryptic uttennee, adding not a word i elucidation rf it, and leaving the public to go outguessing.. ’ * To throw light on the situation, Mr. John Barret, presidentk of th e National Vermont Association, from which State Mr Cooliifee hails, sought the opinion of 70 Vermont and Massachusetts men and wonfiti, 'carefully • selected for knowledge of Vermont and New England colbquiahsnis, and of President Coolidge'? personality, charact , er ; habits of speech. lhese good folk all agreed mon the following opinion : - Hie common, long-established, and accepted signifieaice and use of the phrase, L do not thoose to do this-or that, has alwavs leen, according to our -memory, experieice. and study of Vermont and New 'Bigland phraseology -and celloquialisns, a polite, but firm and .final form’ <f saying ‘I will not do this, or that? The former phrase has even a stronger significance of personal attitude than the latter because it represents fitisliN of judgment and choice, while the fitter might signify impolite, abrupt, and ill-considered refusal, • winch miglt, in turn, be subject to reversal on ftrCier thought.” THE SHOPPER. Oiii'c cagerlv I shopped through all the town For garments such as I saw others wear With'subtle charm. I did’not paus« to care What price I paid. I craved a silver i gown Of cool sophistication, and a crown Of sparkling worldly wisdom for nljf hair, A coat of artifice, and everywhere Bright fringes of pretension- hanging down. I found them all ; but now I’ve put them on, And stand before my mirror, I can see The glittering things do not become me. When . T turn to reach my old dress . it IS gone— The' old discarded dress, simplicity T wonder if it ■■ can be found again 1 —B. Y. Williams, iu the "Christian Science Monitor-”•