310 SIBBS IN LONDON 



bird paired and a nest was built, but after its 

 completion the pair flew away together one 

 morning to some open ground on the outskirts 

 of North London where they were accustomed 

 to feed, and never returned. Doubtless they 

 had been shot by the sportsmen who still infest 

 the waste lands and marshes on that side of the 

 metropolis. Sergeant Kimber now thinks that 

 it was a mistake to clip his rooks' wings, and 

 hopes to succeed better next time. 



This experiment with tame rooks has in- 

 cidentally resulted in a gain to the bird life of 

 North London. In the aviary at Clissold Park 

 a tame female daw was kept ; there she formed 

 a very close friendship with a parrot, who had 

 the original way of manifesting, or perhaps I 

 should say dissembling, his love by pulling out 

 her feathers. No doubt she was very much 

 enamoured of the green bird with his foreign 

 ways and commanding voice, as she was always 

 at his side and never in the least resented his 

 ungentle treatment. The poor bird's breast 

 was at last quite denuded of its covering, and the 

 whole plumage was in such a thin and ragged 

 condition that it was thought best to separate 

 the friends, even at the risk of breaking their 



