LIVING WITH JACKDAWS
Not long ago I heard of another house- holder in the same village who wanted to be rid of jackdaws in his chimney, and fastened paraffin-soaked waste to a cane, set light to the thing and thrust it up towards the jack- daws. The birds were smoked out, the nest burned well, and the fire brigade stood by while the chimney-pot cracked and large pieces of hot soot tumbled into the fireplace beneath. I hardly think jackdaws are worth all that trouble to be rid Of them. We wired our chim- ney-pots, but the soot gathered on the wire and we took it off again. In any case, the daws wanted to nest in the chimneys where we had no fires, and they or the gales managed to remove our wire on the bedroom chimneys. A cowl might have been the answer. Although the daws are a great nuisance in the early hours, we are becoming resigned to them as an old dog tolerates its fleas. This year they raised a brood, and the young have flown at last, so that until next spring things should be fairly peaceful again.
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