308 BIRDS IN TOWN AND VILLAGE 



were already full of old sticks and no more were 

 wanted. It was amusing to see a bird flying about, 

 suddenly tumble out of the air on to a chimney- 

 pot, then with tail tipped up and wings closed, 

 dive into the cavity below. One wondered how 

 the young birds would be got out 1 



Talking with the rector of the neighbouring 

 parish of Phillack one day on this subject, he 

 said, "Don't imagine that the daws restrict them- 

 selves to the chimneys where fires are not lighted. 

 At all events it isn't so at Phillack. Perhaps 

 we have too many daws in our village, but every 

 year before lighting fires in the drawing and 

 dining-rooms we have to call in a man with a 

 pole to clear the flues out." He told me that a 

 few years ago, one cold June day, a fire was 

 lighted in the drawing-room, and as the smoke 

 all poured out into the room a man was sent up 

 to the roof with a pole to clear the obstruction 

 out. Presently a mess of sticks came down and 

 with them two fully-fledged young jackdaws, one 

 dead, killed with the pole, the other sound and 

 lively. This one they kept and it soon became 

 quite tame; when able to fly it would go off and 

 associate with the wild birds, but refused to leave 



