my piping crow.



105



standing by and devouring the eggs, but she is most particular not

to allow the ants to crawl on her, drawing herself up very erect and

stamping her feet if they crawl on her legs, making a queer croaking

noise meanwhile.


She lives out here, quite free, flying away as far as she likes,

hut always returning when called, and follows me about the garden

like a dog. When I am gardening she stays close beside me picking

up insects, but does not care for worms unless they are small red

ones. She also eats seeds and sometimes (like an owl) throws up a

pellet about the size of a sparrow’s egg. When this is going to

happen she looks ill and stands sulking and puffed out, shutting her

eyes and shaking her head.


She began to build a nest last year on the back of a chair in

the conservatory where she roosts, hut the nest was never properly

finished. This year I noticed another nest being built on the top of

the aviary so I put up a cardboard box and procured a tame jackdaw

hoping they would mate, hut “Chips” only drove the bird about and

very much objected to being shut up in the aviary with a stranger.


“ Chips” is now more devoted to me than ever, and when she

sees me gives a peculiar call and likes me to stroke and kiss her (as

a rule she does not like to he handled). She was delighted when I

got a ladder and took some sticks up to help her build the nest

which was finished, being made of sticks roughly put together

and lined with dried grass, cotton, string, bits of paper, &c.


Soon afterwards she did not come down out of her nest but

kept calling to me, so getting a ladder I climbed up to look, raising

“Chips” off her nest and found two eggs, measuring lA- inches long

and 3i inches in circumference ; one is a greenish blue with faint

spots and the other a greyish green with brown spots. She liked

me to get up and pet her whilst on her nest, croaking and lifting

herself up on one side for me to see the eggs. I fed her with tit¬

bits while she was sitting. I wish I could find a mate for her; she

is one of the most interesting pets I have ever had.



