8 Prebendary Lambnck — The Story of a Tame Rook


with her ailments now, and she also much prefers to be put to bed by

her nannie.


She is absolutely free of the house, never has her wing cut, and asks

for all she wants, and we can always tell whether it is her bath, food,

bed, or change of air that she requires.


She has a far more acute sense of hearing than we have, and can

detect the noise of an aeroplane or motor-car many seconds before

we do. She is, moreover, always certain of the direction from which it

is coming, whereas we are often confused She is very accurate in

distinguishing sound, and always knows whether I ring the bell for

daily service or my colleague. If he rings she takes no further notice ;

if I do she lights on the window and waits anxiously for me to come down

the garden.


When we were billeting troops during the War, she took great delight

in the horses and men, and much appreciated the officers of the Royal

Welsh Fusiliers because of their fleches, which her keen eye had detected

before they entered the bouse, and which she had a continuous desire

to remove all the time they were with us.


She builds her nesl every year in the workroom. Her first was

constructed entirely of what could be goi in the house. She started

with twigs out of the housemaid's box, then impounded four work-

scissors, my 2 ft. rule, three silver teaspoons, the receipt file, reels

of cotton and silk, two tape measures, a strap, string, and tape.

All these were wonderfully worked in, the interlacing being most clever

and laborious. Having satisfied herself with the outside, she proceeded

to line the nest, the first precious prize being a new chamois leather ;

this was followed by three cleaning-cloths, a pair of stockings, pieces

of linen, flannel, silk, a newspaper torn to shreds and taken piece by

piece. Bright colour was a great attraction, and always preferred to

white or brown goods. Each year since then we have put a box with

sticks and remnants in the room for her. She has always liked me to

help, and this year she was more than ever exacting, her scheme being

that I should bring the material and she build the nest, which she put

together in a very cosy corner of the wardrobe. I am expected to feed

her when she is nesting.


Her memory is most remarkable. The Rev, E, F, Turner left



