Anybody
who navigate in the newspaper archives of Santa Cruz Sentinel, or in
Internet, can ratify that on the 18th of August, 1961, the same day the
California local paper published the news that a very strange
phenomenon 'Rain of Birds' during the night, knocking at houses and
buildings and by morning, the buildings and streets are full of
thousands of dead birds and anchovies regurgitated. Alfred Hitchcock
immediately phoned the newspaper from Hollywood asking for a copy. The
British director wanted to add 'Raining birds' to the English saying
'Raining dogs & cats'.
The
following day, the master of suspense, who had a house in the hills of
Scott's Valley, telephoned the paper again saying that he would use the
material of investigation for his next thriller, which ended up being
the masterly 'Birds' (based also, although only in name and the idea of birds attacking humans, on the brief story of Daphne du Maurier).
What
was not known scientifically until now is what had caused such an
seemingly inexplicable phenomenon (the earliest article at the time
attributed, wrongly, the fog which had disorientated the birds). An
investigation published in Nature Geoscience had cleared up the doubts.
The
study carried out by the Department of Oceanography of Louisiana State
University had analysed samples extracted in 1961 from the stomachs of
turtles and marine birds, and had found residues of alga that produced
toxins in 79% of the plankton (microscopic organisms which live in
water and serve as a basic food source for aquatic animals) which
contained domoico acid that affected the nerve system and provoked the
birds, who had consumed the already contaminated anchovies and tiny
squids. They had nervous attacks, utter confusion, epileptic
convulsions and even death. Similar toxic incident occurred in the same
area in California in 1991, in that case it was the pelicans. But never
till now identified with the birds that inspired Hitchcock.
In
between, there was also a case in 1987, this time the intoxication was
suffered by about 100 people in Canada, due to the consumption of
mussels (some call them mollusks). It caused irreversible amnesia, even
death. No doubt, Hitchcock could have made another marvellous thriller
with mussels.
While
writing this Blog now, I am also following the film 'The Tourist' and
found it dead boring. It was a total waste of Johnny Depp's talent, and
Angelina Jolie overacted her sophistication, arrogance and loftiness,
but good fashion model.
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