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Birds. 



invariably hides it beneath a chair or such -like place until he is 

 hungry. As to food, no choicer bit can be given him than a dead 

 mouse ; beetles and worms appear to be favourites, but a mouse is 

 above all. He is also very fond of butchers' meat. On the broth- 

 pot being taken off the fire one day shortly after we had him, down 

 comes Jack from his roost, and marches to and fro the room several 

 times in his own peculiar way, apparently taking no notice of the pot, 

 when all of a sudden dab goes the bill right in the boiling soup, and 

 out comes a piece of beef. Whenever the children had anything 

 which he liked, it was a rare case if he did not, by some means or 

 other, secure it for himself. If anything fell on the floor, and Jack 

 was near, it was useless attempting to pick it up, for he would be there 

 before you. I have said he sings; and so he does. But perhaps 

 you never before heard of a rook singing ; it is nevertheless a fact 

 that this one does ; and a most splendid noise he makes, by no 

 means sweet I can assure you, being similar to the gruntings of a pig 

 and the cackling of a hen, copiously intermixed with " Craw-wa- 

 craw-wa," and generally ending with " Curr-warr-curr-war-war-warr." 

 One more fact, and I have done. One day some neighbours heard 

 the baby crying rather loudly ; presently Jack came to the door, 

 roaring " Craw, craw, craw," with all his might. Wondering what 

 was the cause of it all, one of the neighbours went to ascertain, and 

 found that the youngster had been left in the house with no one 

 but Jack. 



Jackdaw (C. monedula). This rock and chimney species is sure to 

 be met with wherever favourable localities occur, — in our towns, 

 amongst the higher rocks along our shores, as well as on precipices 

 inland ; and an old castle, or any place of that sort, is sure to have its 

 colony of " kaes," with not unfrequently a mixture of starlings, &c. 

 The jackdaw is another species that is very easily domesticated ; and 

 a very tricky, amusing fellow he is too. One almost of a pure white 

 is now in the Banff Museum ; it was killed near here, about two 

 years ago. I once possessed a " kae," and I must tell you something 

 about it. Well, I was down one day at the Middens, a place already 

 referred to, seeing the boys catching sparrows, when a person chanced 

 to pass with a gun. The boys, being very much annoyed by jack- 

 daws, requested him to shoot them. This he did, at least he fired 

 one shot, killing one and wounding another. The latter drew my 

 attention at once, as well as excited my covetousness. After a little 

 trouble I managed to obtain the bird. Away home I ran like a 

 lamplighter, proud, happy and joyful. Well, 1 enter the house, 



