On September 7, on yet another holiday in Malta, I was sitting in a bar in Gandolfi Square, in Bugibba. It was 11.30 p.m. when the night air was interrupted by the beautiful sound of a bird singing. Another tourist, a David Flitcroft, a Club Steward from Farnworth, Lancashire who was sitting outside saw the bird, which flew across the square between the rooftops. He described it thus: "It was a big bird, bigger than a pigeon, with a fan-tail about nine inches long, it was yellow in colour".

Again the bird burst into song high on the rooftops. At that moment a passing group of English tourists who claimed they were ornithologists said that although they could not see the bird in the darkness they knew it was a Ukrainian Corncrake which, I believe, is a stranger to these islands. They recognised its beautiful song.

By this time a crowd had gathered peering into the night sky, one of whom was a lady from across the square, who said upon hearing a description of the bird that the very same bird had been in her garden that same day. She said she had put food out and that the bird had eaten it and then flown away.

All of this was causing great excitement as the bird was singing with great gusto. Ten minutes later the hunters arrived! Three fierce looking men, peering through the palm fronds, guns pointed skywards. Fortunately no shots were fired and the bird disappeared into the night sky.

Three days later I am sitting in the same bar when a cat runs past with a small bird in its mouth. This bird was yellow and had a long tail; the bird was still alive.

I told the bar owner, Charles Sammut, and he, along with a dozen customers, chased the cat around the square among the parked cars, but the cat would not give up its prize.

Sadly I have to report the death of someone's pet canary.

This is indeed a tale of two tails.