COUNTRY LIFE
IMPRESSED with the sociable behaviour of four jackdaws sitting side by side and close together on the same spar of a small pine-tree. watched them for a while. At length one of the birds flew down to an old nesting-hole in the cliff, about five or six yards away. His mate followed, and immediately the remaining pair flew down and attacked. The squawking was a signal for four or five more birds to join in, and in no time jackdaws were tumbling about in the blackberry-bush, falling over and over locked in battle; and the cliffs echoed with their clamour until more and more arrived to fly over and inspect the scene. The hole. is a coveted site. It is about three feet deep. The nest cavity is not easily reached by enemies other than those with wings. It will go to the pair who can delay nesting long enough to fend off the rest. After the battle the jackdaws flew away, and then two pairs came back to the pine once more to sit looking deceptively drowsy and unconcerned about the best nesting-hole in half a mile of towering limestone. They were still there when I passed a little before twilight, and it is plain that there will be many battles before a tenancy is established.
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