Prebendary Lambrick—The Story of a Tame Book 9


Blagdon in 1914 and came back in 1919 for the first time after being

demobilized. I was sitting with the bird when she suddenly began to

fly about madly, and we heard a footstep outside. She could not have

seen him, but remembered his step, and there was no rest till she was

allowed to welcome her old friend and show him he was not forgotten.

In the old days it was great fun to see the little rook and the tall big

man walking demurely up the avenue together.


She shows great accuracy in measurements. At one time she was

very fond of taking pins out of the packet, would hold as many as

fifteen in her beak, and then plant them in twos and threes under

different objects. If we moved them or changed them when she was

out of the room she never failed to detect there were three where she

had put two, or to note any other alteration that had been made, and

was never satisfied till she had replaced them all in their original

positions.


I feel I must tell one story against myself. I was doing some

sermon work one morning, and had put down a note on a small scrap

of paper, when suddenly “ Jinnie ” went off with it. When I went

for her she calmly swallowed it. In righteous indignation I caught her

and smacked her on the claws with a pencil. She then skipped on to

the inkstand and, to my horror, proceeded to drink ink in a most

suicidal manner. When she had swallowed as much as she could hold

I found that death was not her object, but vengeance, for she spat

the whole of it over my face and collar ! It took my wife some time

to recover from the effect of uncontrollable fits of laughter at my

appearance.


She has established an ascendancy over our kitchen cat, and it was

great fun the other day to see poor pussy a prisoner under the copper

and Rookie, like a sentry, marching up and down in front keeping her

in, at the end of her beat always going about facing her charge in

correct style.


She appreciates getting a letter through the post. She cleverly

opens the envelope with her beak, draws out 'the enclosure and stands

on it, and soon lets everyone know that that piece of paper is her own

especial possession, and must not be touched. As with the letter just

described, so is her dealing with a bit of dough or a piece of bacon-



