264 BIRDS IN TOWN AND VILLAGE 



exception of the rook, who always tries his best to 

 be an honest, useful citizen j but it is not precisely 

 the same. They may be regarded as bad hats generally 

 in the bird community, and on this very account — 

 " I'm sorry to say," to quote Mr. Pecksniff — ^they 

 touch a chord in us ; and the daw being the genial 

 rascal in feathers par excellence is naturally the 

 best loved. 



It has thus come about that of all the corvidae 

 the daw is now the favourite as a pet bird, and in 

 the domestic condition he is accorded more hberty 

 than is given to other species. We think he makes 

 better use of his freedom, that he does not lose 

 touch with his human friends when allowed to fly 

 about, and appears more capable of affection. 



Formerly, the raven and magpie came first as 

 pets. The raven vanished as a pet, because like 

 the goshawk, kite, and buzzard, he was extirpated 

 in the interests of the game-preserver and henwife. 

 The magpie was then first, and has only been recently 

 ousted from that ancient, honourable position. The 

 pie was a superior bird as a feathered pet in a cage ; 

 he is beautiful in shape and colour in his snow-white 

 and metallic dark-green and purple-glossed plumage, 

 and his long graduated tail. Moreover, he is a clever 

 bird. To my mind there is no more fascinating species 

 when I can find it in numbers, in places where it 

 is not persecuted, and is accustomed to congregate 



