The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1915-08-01
BIRDS AT THE FRONT.
sound and Fury of Battle lncites
nightingale to song.

The sound and fury of battle is prob
ably the last thing to scare away or
silence nightingales and other birds OF
the warbler" family, such as willow
wrens. garden warblers and blackcaps.
on the contrary. nothing more incites
these birds. notably perhaps the night
ingale, TO powerful. constant song than
loud noise. Nieh,ingales, which. by the
way. were still singing in West Sus-
sex on June 90. never sing with greater
passion and strength. says the Saturday
RrrictC, h on a railway ~embankmeut.
where the ground rocks under the rush
of heavy goods trains or fast expresses (:
and people who ave studied or kept
warblers in London and other crowded
cities know that they often sing best
when there Is plenty of sound in the
streets Immediately without.
A correspondent has sent us n letter
from "a French officer now at the front
which gives some fresh and delightful
notes on wild life and nature on II
around the battlefelds In northern
France. Writing In English. this off,
GER sJys:
After leaving Flanders we were sent
TO another part Of the front to hold
trenches. and here we have been some
days. at a miles distance from the
'Boches.' I ann understand why they
haven't smashed the little village to
pieces yet. II Is a most extraordinary
life. ! can assure you. You can have an
exceedingly peaceful and interesting
walk a hundred yards away from the
enerny's trenches, and have a pleasant
little dinner with brother officers at 50
yards from the German outposts.
LAS regards birds and nature gem
orally. It strikes me often what little
impression We can make ON her with
our most powerful Instruments OF de-
structlon. Here We are not heavily
bombarded. but still there Is a good deal
Of noise going on In this little valley.
our own noise mostly. several batteries
being placed in IN" ncirhborhood, ! shall
always remember that when. after climb
ing over the hills, We came down into
the little valley, just opposite tho
cnemy's position. III" nightingale was
singing beautifully in spite of the r!g
Blooms that filed the valley. 1t struck
me then as something very unusual.
But since l have had ample oppor-
tunities OF seeing more. In the wood, in
the immediate nc!ghborhood of the bat
terry. within a radius of a hundred var Is
pc, haps, the blackbird and the thrush
were singing. while In the tree tops
the wood pigeons were cooing as IL they
We're enjoying the quiet Of large for
ests. A little further away in the same
wood a pair Of carr!on crows had built
their nest. In the early morning the
golden oriole. that shy bird, could be
h"ari almost .nvir ably. AS reg! IDS she
other and more common birds, the
greentnch. the yellow hammer, the chat
inch, garden warbler. meiod.ous
warbler. whitethroat, they simply take
no notice whatever of the big reports,
and do not interrupt their song IN any
perceptible way. I have taken a few
notes and may publish them.
still more striking. on account OF the
human element in IL, was the case of
that nightingale which was singing so
beautifully in the moonlight Just in front
of our men In a high hedge separating
the french from the German trenches,
only a few wards apart.
So. after all. YOU see, nature and
her shy children, the birds. are not very
much impressed by our struggles, and
10 see them remain so undisturbed
among our agitation gives one a
mixed feeling of peace of mind and of
the vanity OF human effort. But this liz
philosophy perhaps. ct ce nest pas lie
moment de philosopher"
Probably what is true OF the warb-
lers, the inches, the oriole and the other
species is true OF the great majority
OF singing birds, shy and the re-
verse, 1t Ia certainly true OF one OF the
minutest species in Europe. the com
mon wren. One has noticed that bird
singing with extraordinary spirit In the
hottest corner OF a beat, with many
guns sounding, stops tapping, heaters
closing In and shouting, and pheasa nts
~hirring up and Pumping down in all
directions, But the wren. indeed. often
appears to revel in a scene like this.