CORVID^:. 



THE JACKDAW. 



C6rvus monedula, Linnaeus. 



The Jackdaw is a familiar resident throughout England and 

 Wales. It is also common over the greater part of Scotland, but in 

 the north-west it is somewhat rare, and although it breeds sparingly 

 in Skye it has seldom been noticed in the Outer Hebrides ; again, 

 there are now several large and increasing colonies in the Orkneys, 

 but in the Shetlands the bird is as yet an accidental visitor. 

 In Ireland it is, as a rule, abundant ; but in Kerry, Donegal and 

 other wild portions of the coast, its place is — or was — taken by the 

 Chough, and it is exceptionally that the two species are found 

 breeding within the same area. The same holds good of Guernsey 

 in the Channel Islands, and on Lundy Island there used to be no 

 Jackdaws ; in fact, although generally distributed along our coasts 

 as well as in town and countr)', this species is sometimes unaccount- 

 ably absent. Large numbers arrive on our east coast in autumn, 

 and a similar migration occurs at Heligoland. 



To the Faeroes and Iceland the Jackdaw rarely wanders, and in 

 Norway it is not found breeding north of Trondhjems fjord ; though 

 in Russia it occurs at Mezen, near the Arctic circle. As a rule, it 

 is resident throughout the rest of Europe ; but in the south of 



