BIRDS IN CORNISH VILLAGE 289 



worked in the grass fields in and surrounding it. 

 Rooks and starlings would immediately fall to 

 work, while the daws, the flock breaking up into 

 small parties of three or four, would distribute 

 themselves about the village and perch on the 

 chimney-pots. They would perch and then fly, 

 and for all the rest of the day would be inces- 

 santly shifting about from place to place, on the 

 look-out for something to eat, dropping from time 

 to time to snatch up a crust of bread or the core 

 of an apple thrown away by a child in the road, 

 or into a back garden or on to a dust-heap where 

 potato-parings and the head of a mackerel or 

 other refuse had been thrown. They were very 

 bold, but not as courageous as the old-time British 

 kite that often swooped to snatch the bread from 

 a child's hand. 



From time to time one, or a pair, of a small 

 party of these daws would drop down on the field 

 before my window when the rooks and starlings 

 were there prodding busily at the turf, but though 

 I watched them a thousand times I never detected 

 them trying to find something for themselves. 

 They simply stood or walked about among the 

 working birds, watching them intently. Grub- 



