Birds - on Board From the China seas came to me
the other day a letter, of which I previously quoted an extract, describing the arrival on the ship of many very tired swallows, who rested there a day or two and then continued their journey to Borneo. These migrants were later joined by other' species ; and one wagtail became so close a friend of the crew that he decided to niake the ship MS hbrne. Leis welcome birds then began to arrive. Several hawks diScOVered the hos- pitality of the ship and would descend on the resting birdS, giving a melancholy example of " nature red in tooth 'and claw." But the small birds had won the sailbrs' hearts and the haWks were finally driven off, not without Jos's. Similar experiences have been known- in the Mediterranean. On a very short cruise last year I saw bOth a hawk and several warblers travelling on the same ship. 'On the subject
of bird migrants an authentic instance is given with full details in a book published this Christmas of a golden-crested wren travelling on the back of a short-eared owl. It was seen on the bigger bird, seen to descend, and even so was tired enough to allow a watcher to pick it up without protest.
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