Climbing a tree

It was believed that handling any bird's eggs in the nest made the bird forhooie them, …

But harke, I heare the footing of a man.

Innovations in the communications industry often means that existing media become obsolete. There are no semaphores any longer. (Semaphores were used by the French revolutionary armies in the late 1790's to relay information to Paris about their victories in the Savoy.)