110 THE JACKDAW. 
may see the jackdaw trying, for a quarter of an 
hour, to get a stick into the hole; while every 
attempt will be futile, because, the bird having laid 
hold of it by the middle, it is necessarily thrown at 
right angles with the body; and the daw cannot 
possibly perceive that the stick ought to be nearly 
parallel with its body, before it can be conveyed 
into the hole. Fatigued at length with repeated 
efforts, and completely foiled in its numberless 
attempts to introduce the stick, it lets it fall to 
the ground; and immediately goes in quest of 
another, probably to experience another disap- 
pointment on its return. When time and chance 
have enabled it to place a quantity of sticks at the 
bottom of the hole, it then goes to seek for mate- 
rials of a more pliant and a softer nature. 
The shrill and quickly repeated notes of the 
jackdaw, especially during incubation, are far from 
being unpleasant to the ear which is accustomed to 
rural sounds ; but very few people have an oppor- 
tunity of paying attention to them, as this bird is 
by no means a general favourite with man. It is 
commonly accused of sucking eggs: but eggs form 
no part of its diet, otherwise it would be a bad 
neighbour here; and ringdoves, house-doves, wag- 
tails, fowls, and ducks would wish it far away. 
It is vastly fond of peas and cherries. When these 
are done, the jackdaw repairs to the pastures, where 
it devours an incredible number of insects. 
After the young have left the nest, they join the 
rooks, and roost with them in the surrounding 
woods till near the autumnal equinox ; when both 
