4059. Until the
invention of the hot air balloon on December 14, 1782 no person had even viewed
a battlefield from above. Is it any wonder then that from 1782 on, predicting
the future from the flight of birds began to taper off, after years of decline
that previously had only been caused by the superstitious idea that birds can’t
predict the future?
4060. Anthologies
of history, replete with descriptions of countless battles, impress the reader
again and again with the observation by the writers, that the outcome of a
battle was decided by unseen forces hidden in ditches, or riding to the rescue
over distant hills in the form of cavalry. To put it simply: birds can see what
is coming, and the people can’t.
4061. Seeing
something coming and knowing what the result my be is a far cry from knowing
the future, and only those birds who have an unrealistic and inflated opinion
of their own prognosticating powers make any such claim. Most birds only state
that their observations contain important intelligence, of use when plotting a
military strategy.
4062. It is
this simple fact that has led commanding generals over the ages to gradually
come to the realization that the activities of birds are the best source of
information about the outcome of a battle.
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