BIRDS IN CORNISH VILLAGE 311 



as bad hats generally in the bird community, and 

 on this very account — "I'm sorry to say," to quote 

 Mr. Pecksniff — they touch a chord in us ; and the 

 daw being the genial rascal in feathers par ex- 

 cellence is naturally the best loved. 



It has thus come about that of all the Corvidae 

 the daw is now the favourite as a pet bird, and 

 in the domestic condition he is accorded more 

 liberty than is given to other species. We think 

 he makes better use of his freedom, that he does 

 not lose touch with his human friends when al- 

 lowed to fly about, and appears more capable of 

 affection. 



Formerly, the raven and magpie came first as 

 pets. The raven vanished as a pet, because like 

 the goshawk, kite, and buzzard, he was extirpated 

 in the interests of the game-preserver and hen- 

 wife. The magpie was then first, and has only 

 been recently ousted from that ancient, honour- 

 able position. The pie was a superior bird as 

 a feathered pet in a cage; he is beautiful in shape 

 and colour in his snow-white and metallic dark- 

 green and purple-glossed plumage, and his long 

 graduated tail. Moreover, he is a clever bird. 

 To my mind there is no more fascinating species 



