74 IN A CHESHIRE GARDEN 



and we do at long intervals see them in this 

 garden and in the fields near, but they are 

 very far from common. 



I have heard of a magpie at a farm in the 

 next village to this, many years ago indeed, 

 who kept his eye on a turkey that was in the 

 habit of laying eggs at a little distance from 

 the house, and often managed to appropriate 

 the newly-laid egg before the farm people 

 could stop him. 



Jackdaws are often about, generally in 

 company with rooks, but I have never 

 specially noticed them settling in the garden, 

 as the rooks often do. 



In Wales once I saw a jackdaw busily 

 engaged exploring the back of a pony with 

 its beak. The pony continued quietly graz- 

 ing all the while, but I thought he seemed 

 rather relieved when his visitor left. 



In January, 1898, two crows appeared in 

 the garden; I used to see them nearly every 

 evening. A month later we saw a single 

 crow, injured in one wing, go backwards and 

 forwards over the whole length of the oppo- 

 site bank. Up and down he went, regularly 

 quartering the ground in his search for food. 

 He did this for several days, and we felt 

 quite sorry for him, he was so diligent and 

 persevering, and it must have been so little 

 that he could find within such comparatively 

 narrow limits. We put food for him, which 

 he soon found and seemed to appreciate.. 



