BIRDS AS GUARDIANS

Hokitika Guardian, 13 April 1929, Page 6

BIRDS AS GUARDIANS

There is yet much to he learnt, about the protective habits ol birds and animals. Why does the blackbird keep silent when alone if danger approaches, and yet scream out in warning at ihe same danger should there he rabbits feeding hoary (writes Basil Barham in the London Daily Telegraph). Tits and blackbirds seem to have constituted themselves the guardians or the little animals of the woods, and twitter and scream when a hawk or owl hovers overhead. M' a weasel is creeping along the hedgerow tits will always go out of their way to warn mice of his coming. They have even been known to flock together and sally out to drive a weasel away from young mice or other small animals.

Starlings, too, will warn field mice ami rabbits of the approach of a cat or aoOwl, although they will remain con temptuously silent if no small bird or animal is near the marauder. Blackbirds will keep silent when an owl flies near them, hut if a young rabbit or mouse is near they will scream excitedly until it is out of danger. 1 have heard the jackdaw in Northumberland .there are thousands along the line of the Great Wall—doing the same thing. The curlew sends out a warning to every living thing within healing as soon as anyone draws near, and even the little stone chat, instead of flying away to safety as soon as you approach. will remain perched on thistle, stack, or stone wall until von can almost touch him. sounding an alarm. They used to declare in Northumberland that he does it to warn the “LittleGreen People”—a childish belief, most people nowadays would sav, and one out of keeping with the modern spirit that has no use for fairies. But it is a pretty idea. Have the scientists anything to ofler us in its place,