THE JACKDAW 233 



tolerably abundant in Kashmir and in the Punjab, 

 in the latter country in the cold weather only. It 

 builds in Kashmir in old ruined palaces, holes in rocks, 

 beneath roofs of houses, and also in trees, laying four 

 to six eggs, dotted and spotted with brownish black." 

 No one living in Kashmir appears to have taken the 

 trouble to amplify this somewhat meagre account 

 of the jackdaw in Asia. It would be interesting to 

 know whether the daws of Kashmir have any habits 

 peculiar to themselves. The fact that Jerdon mentions 

 their breeding in trees is interesting, for in England 

 they nest in buildings in nine hundred and ninety- 

 nine cases out of a thousand. 



The jackdaw makes a most admirable pet. When 

 taken young it becomes remarkably tame, soon 

 learning to follow its master about like a dog. More- 

 over, the bird is as full of tricks as is a wagon-load of 

 monkeys, so that Mr. Westell does not exaggerate 

 when he says that the jackdaw when kept as a pet 

 seems more of an imp than a bird. It thieves for the 

 mere sake of thieving. The nest is sometimes a veritable 

 museum of curiosities. One bird, immortalised by 

 Bishop Stanley, appears to have tried to convert 

 its nest into a draper's shop, for this, although not 

 finished, was found to contain some lace, part of a 

 worsted stocking, a silk handkerchief, a frill, a child's 

 cap, " besides several other things, but so ragged and 

 worn out that it was impossible to make out what 

 they were." 



