The Rev. J. G. Wood's Anecdote. 



85 



busying himself in this way when the family was in bed, though, 

 fortunately, he seems to have done nothing worse than light 

 the kitchen fire which had been laid ready for kindling over 

 ■ night. Clever as he was, however, he could not learn to dis- 

 tinguish the proper ignitable end of the match, and so rubbed 

 on till he happened to get it right. He frightened himself 

 terribly at first by the explosion and the sulphur fumes, and 

 burned himself into the bargain. But I do not find that, like the 

 burnt child, he afterwards feared the fire and so discontinued 

 the dangerous trick. 



The jackdaw is easily domesticated, and makes himself very 

 happy in captivity, learns to articulate words and sentences, and 

 is most amusing by his mimicry and comic humour. • 



