OUR English jackdaws are not behind Miss Bird's Japanese crows in at any rate one of the instances of intelligence told by her. Many years ago it was a frequent amusement of ours to watch the encounters between a tame jackdaw and the stable cat. The cat's dinner used to be put down outside the stable-door, and, warned by experience, she hastened to dispose of as much as possible before the arrival of the jackdaw. He seldom went directly to the meat in the plate, bat attacked the enemy in the rear, settling himself with both feet on her outstretched tail to steady it, and then administering pickaxe blows on it with his beak. Of course it was impossible to stand this, and with a forcible exclamation the cat used to spring away, and Jack took possession of the plate, until our sense of justice obliged us to recall and defend the rightful owner.