194 Mr. F. N. Cliasen on the [Ibis, 



time, niid, indeed, it seemed as il: it preferred to adopt this 

 tactic throuiihout tlie fis^t, because each time the strife 

 commenced anew it vohintarily assumed the position 

 described. It was, however, a bad choice, because the upper- 

 most Jackdaw was undoubtedly the conqueror. 



Another point worthy o£ mention, although it has been 

 remarked upon many times before, is connected with the 

 feeding of the young. When the parent birds are returning 

 from a long foraging expedition, their mouths are frequently 

 so full of food that the space between the rami of the lower 

 mandible is distended to form a very visible pouch, which is 

 conspicuous enough to be noticed when the bird is fljing 

 past. This fact did not prevent the Jackdaws from making 

 as much noise as usual. The only differences were, firstly, 

 that the call was produced with the beak closed instead of 

 ga[)ing, as it usually is, and secondly, that the note was, in 

 consequence, rather throaty in tune. The Jackdaws at 

 Orljak used horsehair, grass, native cotton, and string 

 (among other materials), for their nests. At Ormanli twigs 

 were collected with great energy for repairing purposes, and 

 hunuin hair (found under the tiles in native houses) was a 

 favourite building material. 



Regarding the identity of Macedonian Jackdaws, many 

 birds were certainly very light on the neck, but others 

 a})pcared quite normal, and as near as I could say from 

 observation alone, they were typical examples of Corvus 

 monedula monedula. Major Sladen, however, has much 

 better grounds to work upon, for be shot a number and 

 writes : — " All that I examined appeared to belong to the 

 subspecies 6". monedula collaris Dxummond, and all of them 

 had more white above the neck than the tyjjical bird. 

 I found that it was not unusual to come across individuals 

 which had a rusty red tinge all over. I remember an 

 instance of one in a flock near Snevce, which was almost 

 mahogany colour, but I was unable to secure it. 1 noticed 

 the same thing to a lesser degree in individuals of Corvus 

 cornixy 



