THE CHOUGH 



as is also their flight, which is performed by a series of rapid 

 beats of the wings. They are gifted with no small powers 

 of flight, and often tumble and toy with each other in the air, 

 especially during the love season in spring. 



Although the Chough establishes its noisy colonies in the 

 ocean cliffs, it leaves them to feed on the fields and pastures 

 inland, where it may often be seen walking about amongst 

 the feeding cattle, mingling with Eooks and Starlings. I 

 have seen it follow the plough in early spring, where its 

 actions were precisely similar to those of the Jackdaw, 

 running up and down over the clods of earth and along the 

 smooth straight furrows ; but it is a much more wary bird, 

 and generally contrives to keep well out of danger. The 

 Chough is an early bird astir, and begins his search for food 

 before sunrise. This food consists largely of worms and 

 grubs, but in spring and autumn grain is eaten in large 

 quantities. The bird may sometimes be seen on the beach 

 hunting about amongst the rocks and shingle at low water 

 for anything eatable. When feeding, the Chough is almost 

 as restless as the Starling, running hither and thither, often 

 flying for a few yards, rising in the air and dropping again. 



If the Chough does not frequent inland cliffs in this 

 country now, it does so in Northern Africa ; and I have a 

 vivid remembrance of several large colonies of these birds I 

 met with in the noble chain of the Aures Mountains, at the 

 eastern limits of the Great Atlas range. Their habits here 

 were much the same as on English cliffs ; but I know no 

 place in our islands where fifty or more birds can be seen in 

 the air at once. One of these colonies was situated in a low 

 ridge of rocks on the side of a stony valley, near the snow- 

 capped summit of Djebel Mahmel. The country there is so 

 sterile and barren that I was often puzzled how the birds 

 could find a sustenance. I watched them in parties beating 

 along the face of the rugged mountain side, and saw them 



