Ah ! Animal lesson No 5 being prepared.......here goes:~
The incident of the Crow and the Gannet.
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Dear darksiders all,
I like to get my business done early if possible, that is if market conditions allow, because
then I have free time to do as I please.
It is my habit to have my breakfast at about 10 AM.
As the weather down here on the South Coast has its own micro climate which is superb,
in consequence of this, it is often sunny here when even in London it may be pouring.
During the summer months I like to have my breakfast al fresco, depending on the
breeze, depending which lawn is chosen as a knowledge of Meteorology is also very
useful. But I digress. My favourite breakfast is Smoked Salmon and Scrambled Eggs, with
Orange Juice, Tea and Toast.
Invariably the Toast is is a short French Roll, sliced down the middle lengthwise.
I am telling you all these details to put you fully in the picture, you understand.
On this particular morning I had 4 guests for breakfast, naturally we all had the same.
When we finished, there was one peice of toast left, and I felt guily as I am averse to
wasting food. So I thought the good deed for the day, would be to throw it onto the Garage
roof, for some hungry bird to enjoy.
Now my next door neighbour lives in the prettiest Bungalow, with a sharply tilting roof,
that has a chimney that is open, because down here many of us use logs in our fireplaces in the winter, are you following this so far ? And are you getting the drift? Good !
Late in the afternoon, I went out to post a letter and I looked up and saw the following:~
Sitting on top of the edge of my neighbour's open chimney, was a huge Crow who had
managed to fly there with the discarded peice of Toast in its beak. This Crow was balancing
itself on the rim of the chimney pot and facing inwards. On the apex of the roof and facing it
expectantly was a Gannet. The Crow looked very self conscious because the Gannet was
observing it, and giving it absolutely its undivided attention.
But the Crow was not only aware of the Gannet's interest, it was also aware of the tricky
situation it found itself in. You see the Crow was facing the Gannet, and the Crow was aware
that it was dangling its lunch over the top of the open chimney pot. The Crow assumed it
would be safer to find a safer perch. So it hopped. And it intended to hop from one side of
rim of the chimney pot to the other. And it did.
On landing on the other side of the rim, the jerk caused by its landing, succeeeded in freeing
the Toast from its beak.
The toast fell in the crease between the Chimney and the Apex of the roof. The Gannet,
immediately slid down the slope between the Apex and the Crease with its webbed feet
facing forward, and went bumpety bump bump on the roof tiles to its target, which it
scooped up with a loud shriek, and flew away with it, leaving the Crow still sitting on
the chimney Pot looking decidedly crestfallen, and I believe, embarrassed, because I
also beilieve that animals are capable of being embarrassed when they recognise
they have committed a blunder.
All animals should feel embarrassed when they commit blunders. The human variety are capable of apologising if their awareness is sufficiently developed,
and if they have been taught proper manners as to how to behave in civilised society,
whereas animals do not speak directly but are capable of indicating their
feelings in other ways that to the enlightened are also obvious.