With a view to increasing the food-supply the German Government have extended the time for shooting hares from January 16th to February 1st, and for pheasants from February 1st to March 1st. The dachshund season, we understand, will be continued for the duration of the War. *** Count KOSPOTH, a member of the Prussian Upper House, in the course of an energetic plea for economy, remarks that "at one's country-seat one can very well do without a motor-car, and even with two to four horses in stables instead of six or eight." This was read with great satisfaction by the Berlin _Hausfrau_ on a meatless day when the bread-card was exhausted. *** The House of Commons was quite relieved when Sir GEORGE REID took his seat. There had been some fears that he would take two. *** A young woman who mistook Vine-street police station for a tavern, and was fined ten shillings for drunkenness, is reported to have expressed the opinion that there is room for improvement in the nomenclature of our public edifices. *** "My grave doubt," writes a Conscientious Objector regarding his fellows, "is whether there is any reasonable chance that most of them will be able to convince a tribunal that their conscientious objection is real." It may comfort him to know that his doubt is very widely shared. *** "DEAR MR. PUNCH," writes a soldier at the Front who has been reading the Parliamentary reports,--"Do you think an officer out here who developed 'conscientious objections' might get a week's leave?" *** In the course of a debate in the Reichstag on the German Press Bureau it was revealed that the Censor had struck out quotations from GOETHE as being dangerous to the State. Our man who tinkered with KIPLING is wonderfully bucked by this intelligence. *** Bread is the staff of life, and, in the view of certain officers in the trenches, whose opinions we cannot of course guarantee, the life of the Staff is one long loaf. *** Extracted from the report of an enthusiastic company commander after a brisk action with some tribesmen on the Indian Frontier: "The men were behaving exactly as if on ceremonial parade. They laughed and talked the whole time...." We seem to recognise that parade. * * * * * Extract from letter from an Unconscientious Slacker. [Illustration: "DEAR LORD KITCHENER,--I am not a good walker, which prevents my joining the Infantry. As I have no experience of horses, the Cavalry is also out of the question. The Artillery I don't care for on account of the noise, and flying makes me giddy. The A.S.C. does not appeal to me, and the R.A.M.C. would entail some very unpleasant duties. "So you had better not worry about me. Perhaps when the fine weather comes I may think about the Navy. I am rather keen on boating...."] * * * * *