The spectator., 1919-08-29

which caught the allies unawares, and which if later not met, would have meant defeat for the entente.
 Germany broke It's pledge when It used gas against the British forces at Ypres in April, 1915. The view which congress has taken of the mat ter apparently is that when country | has broken a pledge there IS no iil- Surance that it will not do the same | thing again, and therefore legislation has been passed and approved which will continue the chemical warfare service for defensive purposes for an- other year, and this means almost ur- questionably that it will be made separate unit of the regular army when organization of the regulars shall be completed next winter.
 Nature of Gas Warfare. | There seems to be some misunder- standing throughout the United l States about the nature of gas war fare Gas is not as deadly weapon as other approved weapons of war. but if m enemy Is unprepared to meet gas attacks he will be put out of the conflict until preparation can be made, and in the intervening time the country which has gas and which l is using it is certain to win it's vic tory unless preparation can be made quickly.
 British, French and American au- thoriteS say that with the develop ! ft i- condition if will bc impossible to pre- l pare quickly against an attack of the enemy who k fully equipped wi5h the modern offensive gas appliances. The reason the British Were able to pre- pare in l9l5 is that the first gases ased were Het as effective as those which later were manufactured. With aas aS f k today he army which has ii ,an defeat oaf es hand any ofhor army which may confront 1t, no ma,tcr what fts >i"r-gf iaa-' So runs tBe opinion e5 mil.aH experts in Washington.
 Congress. f ssoms came to the com ea~ion hczare fl sanctioned the con tnuaHen ef thp chemical warfare seryioc That if any l.He of chemical industry k paobcd | uHl he found that it has 1rur application as we'll as q ucace application.
 The action of congress makes 1t clear that t believes that the chem ical warfare service will go hand i'll hand with the efforts "a develop Il nitrate supply for this country, 10 de velop the aye>tUM and aeetylene in dastries against hurtful foreign com petition.
 Bird Protection Shows Results.
 Washington officials connected with the biological survey of the depart ment of aSriculture, of which r. W. Nelson k the chief, arc faithfully at work these days in carrying ont the provisions of the treaty with Canada which gives the United States power to protect migratory birds. pr. F. K. Fisher and Dr. r. <. Palmer with oth- CT officials are doing commanding work.
 The effect of the prosecution of of lenders against the laws regulating shooting is already evident. Strong HdIil'tlN HUH Et4tAlllt NlHf4 l~lllt'l come for that provision of the law which prevents spring shooting and which gives the migratory birds secur- ity during the season of mating and nesting. The whole country now Is in sympathy apparently with the laws which protect the song and insectivor- ous birds of the land.
 b,.. six months after the disappearance of bird life from this planet of ours man would have to prepare to follow in the trait of disappearance. The French | mans findings have been borne out by other scientists declaring that insect life would increase so rapidly If it's nat | ural enemies. the birds were all killed, the green things on the eurth would be dead in short order and that therefore no cattle could live. and man being de- privcd of both vegetables and animal | food. would go the way of annihilation by starvation.
 Washington Swarms With Birds.
 All of which in q way is apropos of the extraordinary abundance of song HaiN llt' III t''N 'hlhth hl ll't N uiteu States in this late summer SeaSon of i l9l9 No shooting k allowed in the riStrict of Columbia at any time of the year. The result is that birds literally 1all over the feet of people who sit in any one ef the parks with which this l city ahounds.
 of course domestic pigeons are not wild birds, but they arc not ordinarily as tame as chickens. Tn parts of Washington the domestic pigeons will light on the heads of persons sitting 1 in the parks in the expectation of be- ins fed. They are seldom disappoint- ed.
 ] What Is true of the domestic pigeon
 Is almost true of the hlackbird nown