NOTES AND COMMENTS

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXVII, Issue 23850, 28 December 1940, Page 6

NOTES AND COMMENTS

THE REAL BATTLE The policy of "parallel action" between Great Britain and the United States is advocated in an extended form by the New York Times, which says: "At all costs we must avoid the risk of strengthening our hand in Asia to the point that means weakening it in Europe. The real battle of our times will not be fought in China, ]ll doCkina, the Philippines, the Dutch East Indies, or even at Singapore. It will be fought—it is now being fought—in Europe, between free Britain and the slavery of Hitler. If Britain wins that fight, the situation in the Far East will take care of itself in time. If Britain loses that fight, there is little that can be saved from the general wreckage that will follow. Ine chief criterion which ought to he applied to every proposal for American action in the Ear East is whether it will strengthen or weaken our ability to aid Britain. The real front is on the English Channel." JOKING AT WAR The ordeal of bombing has not. quenched the lively Cockney humour which is so typical of London. In a leading article 011 ""War Words and War Jokes" the Times says:—"Civilian humour is plucky, defiant, and derisive of the enemy. A correspondent told the other day of the bombed coffee-shop that was 'more open than usual' —a typical joke. A newsvendor has long been delighting the passcrs-bv with his posters, of which the best, perhaps, has been 'The Italians win the Boat Race'; and current stories —such as that of the Italian sailor whose doctor advised him to take a sea voyage, and that of the Italian officer who on, the approach of the enemy drew his sword and cut down a side street —show a readiness to joke which docs not connote any serious undervaluation of a dangerous foe. Words and jokes, it may he hoped, arc being collected by someone with a knowledge of the light which such things throw on tho psychology and social history of a people. A fruitful source of old was the regimental journals; to which may now he added tho new type of air raid shelter journal." BIRDS, BEASTS AND BOMBS The reactions of birds and beasts to the din of aerial warfare over Britain is discussed by a contributor to the Times. "As regards wild birds." he says, "there is a good deal of evidence that many of the larger kinds are disturbed by the sound of bombs or antiaircraft fire. With song-birds, however, the chief reaction seems to be to aircraft. These are treated as if they wore hawks, the birds scattering downward and crouching to avoid detection. There are two curious exceptions to this; neither robins nor any member of the swallow tribe have been seen to pay the slightest attention to aircraft The stories of gulls giving warning of the approach of hostile aircraft are presumably based on the same reaction; (heir keen senses—eyes more probably than cars —detect the aeroplanes a little before they are audible or visible to human beings. Domestic animals vary individually. Some dogs have what may be called A.R.P. sense, and distinguish perfectly between the alert and the all-clear signals. One cat lias been reported in this category; at the alert she comes indoors to take shelter, but when the raiders-passed signal is given she jumps up and scratches to.be let out. She is indifferent to more noise. Other dogs show no recognition of tho difference between the sirens' signals. Again, some dogs do not mind the noise of guns and bombs, or even seem to like it, while others are miserably frightened and crawl under tho furniture. Some parrots definitely dislike the noise, and scream loudly and hysterically."