Cowper appreciated the character of the Jackdaw to the full. He says
“There is a bird who, by his coat
And by the hoarseness of his note,
Might be supposed a crow.
A great frequenter of the church,
Where, bishop-like, he finds a perch,
And dormitory too.
. . . . . . . . . .
Thrice happy bird, I too have seen
Much of the vanities of men,
And, sick of having seen ’em,
Would cheerfully these limbs resign
For such a pair of wings as thine,
And such a head between ’em.”
DOUBTFUL.
THE MAGPIE.