["Pomp and Circumstance"]
The English countryside in the height of summer, all the trees in full leaf, the electric pylons
stride across the rightening fields like symbols of power, the corn stands high, how rich and
full of plenty it all seems. But wild creatures are not deceived by appearances, the squirrel in
the trees, the fox below, the birds, the insects all know that a time of plenty will not last
forever. Even the plants and trees themselves know that hard times may come and prepare for them.
The leaves look quiet enough outside, but if you get a chance to look at the leaf cells inside,
you'll find that they're full of activity, collecting and preparing food. For power,
they use the sunlight that falls upon them, just as the housewife uses electricity. And with the
help of the sunlight, the leaf you see here and these potato cells are storing sugar away in the
form of little round starch grains. Potato plant rations itself using only so much sugar in summer
and storing the rest for the winter below ground. As the store grows, so the potato tuber gets bigger.
It is because vegetables and plants have so much nourishment stored in them that they make
such good food. For instance, on his cabbages, the gardener is almost certain to find the wise
snail tucking in before him. Close up wise snail. And if it isn't a snail, it's a caterpillar.
Caterpillars should be copied for their very economical feeders. They eat up every bit of the
meal before them as this devastated patch of plants shows. Rabbits too eat steadily, not wasting any
bits. And cattle work pretty methodically through the meadow that is their week's ration. Sheep
are very careful and economical feeders as well. But sometimes in the country you'll see a leaf
for the whole cutout. And this bit hasn't been eaten. It's been cut out by the leaf cutter bee
who is here at work. She carries the piece of leaf back to her home. A hole in this wooden shed
support. She drags the leaf inside up all those stairs. And here you see she has rolled pieces
of leaf round to make cells which she finishes off neatly. Then off she flies to the flowers to
collect pollen showing that a leaf cutter bee is not about doing the work of an ordinary bee.
Home again. When she's filled a cell with pollen she lays an egg in it. It is just enough pollen
for the bee grub to eat when it hatches out until it grows up. There's an egg on pollen on the
right hand side. Here is the grub full grown and there's not a grain of pollen left, not a grain
wasted. The grub turns into a bee that in its turn flies off next year and collects pollen from
the flowers. And here's an ordinary honey bee, the famous busy bee, the symbol of energy.
Although the countryside and the gardens are full of flowers the wise bee isn't led away into
believing that because there seem to be plenty of food you should eat the lot. No the bees take
the food they've collected home to the hive. Some bring honey but the ones that are light
colored are covered with the pollen they've collected. Let him alone. Inside the hive the
bees put away their food into wax cells ready for the winter. But pollen and honey are foods
that keep well if they're just sealed up with wax. The honey bees can make their stores easily
but what about their cousin the sand wasp? Well what about her? Here she is busily digging her
store covered in the sand. On a small plant nearby is a large spider which she has caught. She's
going to pack it up away in the hole purely for the spider's own protection of course. When it
seems deep enough she goes away to fetch the spider. Has anyone been interfering while she's
been away? No it looks alright down here. Where's that spider? Soon get her in now. What do you
think you are a poke? On the spider the wasp lays her egg. To keep the provision of food
fresh for the grub that will hatch out she has injected a preservative into the spider so none
of the baby's rations will be lost by going bad. Enough is provided and no more and then mother
wasp seals up the hole which is nursery and larder combined. The sand wasp's home is usually on
a sunny heath and the Shrike a little brown bird uses sunshine to preserve its food from going
bad. Inside a thorn bush difficult to see is the Shrike's larder of sun-dried food a shroom house
a bee impaled upon a thorn wasps and blue bottles all sun-dried and nourishing. The Shrike catches
enough food for its needs and wastes nothing by letting food go bad. Most wild creatures are
careful not to waste food for in the woods and hills food is hard to come by. On the edge of the
wood is the sparrow hawk's nest. Father brings a meal and mother rations it out carefully among
the three little hawks. The tough bit she eats herself rather than waste them. The food is
carefully rationed among the babies each being fed in turn. Below the nest is a rabbit warren here
the badgers have gone hunting but the sport was poor only one rabbit between two and the owner
doesn't appear prepared to share we could really do with another rabbit. Hi you what me? Badgers like
most Britons or meat eaters but when this one is convinced that there are no more rabbits about
he trots away to the woods and makes a vegetarian meal off the bark of a tree. Judging by the tree
when he's finished he must have had as much nourishment as if he'd eaten ten rabbits. Prouding
around the head rose is the pole cat a confirmed egg eater. He'll eat eggs as long as they're
available hang the expense but when the egg season is over the pole cat is very adaptable. Often he
goes off to the village and there in the scrap arm dump finds a change of diet nature certainly
never meant the pole cat to eat tin salmon but he doesn't mind it. As the autumn comes on the woods
are full of berries of all kinds slows and crab apples nuts and acorns. Wild creatures might be
forgiven if they thought food was so plentiful that they could just go on eating and eating but
they're too wise to be deceived by appearances. The squirrel is collecting acorns. The door mice
are gathering hips and haws. So when the last leaves fall and winter comes the wild creatures
sleep safely through the hard times with their stores of food ready for emergencies hips and
haws in the nest of the door mouse on the hedge. The squirrel in its tray among the branches has a
lot of nuts and acorns. Inside the hive the community of the bees is safe and in the winter
of war the government is playing its part for us like the bees the ministry of food is collecting
food planning its use stalling it for the whole community. Well we have enough flour for this
district and sugar and what about meat. Insects and birds and animals are guided by instinct but
human beings the man and woman in the street are supposed to have intelligence. You sir. Pardon me.
Are you as wise as the badger that eats vegetables when it can't get meat. You can't always
reckon to have as much meat as that you know. Try a dinner of vegetables and cheese it's just
as nourishing as all the meat you're used to. It's not bad is it. No it's obviously pretty good.
Go on don't be fussy. His wife's moving dishes into the kitchen. From what she up to now. You
madam wait a minute with all those cabbage leaves and potato peelings aren't you as sensible as
the caterpillar that eats up all its vegetable food. Don't waste all those they're good make them
into vegetable soup and stock don't waste them. And what's this one doing with all those bits and
pieces left on the plates. Madam you haven't got half the sense of a leaf cutter bee. She judges
exactly how much food her family will want. No bits are left over to be wasted. You try and judge
a bit more the quantities you need. Isn't it marvelous to be able to talk to a woman like that.
Gone bad has it. It's criminal to waste food like this. Think of the sand wasp. She doesn't waste
her spider like that she preserves it. You should have put your pie carefully away in a cool larder
or better still put food into a refrigerator. Remember her she's the sparrow hawk she makes
the family rations go as far as possible. Now then mum filling the teapot do you serve food
carefully so that you all get different sorts of food you know bodybuilding food energy giving
food and protective food every day. And you dad do you eat plenty of green vegetables are you
as wise as this rabbit. Blimey he is a rabbit. Now you madam I know what you're going to say do
I collaborate like the bees in storing food. Yes I do. I live in the country and I joined the
women's Institute plan for cooperative jam making. I've given the fruit from my garden and the group
gets the sugar and we share the jam. We're wise. Oh really. Now what about these. Thanks to the
Navy and the merchant service there's food in all the shops but because there's plenty about
there's no need to be extravagant. Can he really want all these. You're not as wise as the dorm
ice or squirrels who are economical in the midst of plenty. You buy stuff just because you see it
in the shops. Well really we don't like to say too much in case that woman is still hanging
about but human beings are supposed to be intelligent. But when it comes to the wise use
of food are they as wise as these animals these birds these insects or even the potato. Well are
