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Nature is adverse to over-procreation (read statistics showing the rapid increase of the human species during these last fifty years.). Countries like India and China have their huge populations thinned out periodically by natural catastrophies: floods, earthquakes, pests and famine. Only those provided with the longest teeth, the sharpest nails, and the most cunning brains will survive. They are the fittest according to the standards of Nature. Would she save a sky-lark should it fall into a nest of rats?

March 8th. The amateur painters are buying up all the paints and paint-brushes still to be found on the market. My paints are in Paris and by the time I see Paris again they will be probably dried up. So yesterday I decided to go down and buy the few paints that I need to work with: eight in all, black, white, blue, yellow light and dark, red lacquer, garance and brun de Bruxelles. After visiting all the shops I came back with one small tube of Lefranc's blue cobalt. There was still available a large paint-box containing tubes of every imaginable colour but of an Italian make unknown to me. This box costs one thousand lire. I left the treasure for some indiscriminate amateur. 
This question of paints brings me to a new acquaintance living on our hill Russian born with a south American passport this lady is very much of an amateur painter. Her walls are covered with her canvases but as she herself is very agreeable I wear blinkers when visiting her. Yesterday she showed us a trench in her garden planned by a young Italian friend