66 BIRDS AND MAN 



For very good reasons he prefers the inland to 

 the sea-cliff as a breeding site. It is, to begin 

 with, in the midst of his feeding ground, whereas 

 the sea-wall is a boundary to a feeding ground 

 beyond which the bird cannot go. Better stiU, 

 the inland bird has an immense advantage over 

 the other in travelling to and from his nest in 

 bad weather. When the wind blows strong 

 from the sea the seaside bird must perpetually 

 fight against it and win his home by sheer 

 muscular exertion. The other bird, able to go 

 foraging to this side or that, according to the 

 way the wind blows, can always have the wind 

 as a help instead of a hindrance. 



Somerset also possesses a long coast-line and 

 some miles of sea-cliffs, but the colonies of jack- 

 daws found here are small compared with those 

 of the Mendip range. The inland-cliff breeding 

 daws that inhabit the valley of the Somerset 

 Axe alone probably greatly outnumber all the 

 daws in Middlesex, or Surrey, or Essex. 



Finally, besides the cUffs and woods, there 

 are the old towns and villages — small towns 

 and villages with churches that are almost like 

 cathedrals. No county in England is richer 



