3 i8 BIRDS IN TOWN AND VILLAGE 



minutes she returned, and after eyeing me suspi- 

 ciously a short time flew again to the tree and, 

 vanishing from sight in the hole, remained there. 

 I was intently watching that small black spot in 

 the bark to see her emerge, when a little boy 

 came slowly sauntering past my bench, and 

 glancing at him I found that his shrewd brown 

 eyes were watching my face and that he had a 

 knowing half-smile on his lips. 



"Hullo, my boy!" I said. "I can see plainly 

 enough what is in your mind. You know I'm 

 watching a hole in the tree where a jackdaw has 

 just gone in, and your intention is, when no one 

 is about, to swarm up the tree and get the young 

 birds." 



"Oh, no," he returned. "I'm not going to climb 

 the tree and don't want any young jackdaws. I 

 always come to look because the birds breed in 

 that hole every year. Two years ago I had a 

 bird from the nest, but I don't want another." 



Then at my invitation he sat down to tell me 

 about it. One morning when he came the young 

 had just come off, and he found one squatting on 

 the ground under the trees, looking stupefied. 

 No doubt when it flew out it had struck against 



