TiiK Chough 149 



In colouring the Chough is shining black, glossed -with blue and purple; the 

 wings slightly greenish; the bill and feet are orange-vermilion; iris brown. The 

 female is a little smaller than the male. Young birds have the bill and feet dull 

 orange. 



The haunts of the Chough are chiefl}' sea-side cliffs and rugged mountain 

 sides, and Dixon mentions that he observed a colon}' in Algeria "in a low ridge 

 of rocks, on the side of one of the barren stony valleys near the snow-capped 

 summit" of Djebel Mahmel. It is gregarious in its habits and appears to pair 

 for life. Its flight is somewhat characteristic ; consisting largely', as Howard 

 Saunders says, of "a series of curves in the air, alternatel}- rising with a scream, 

 and then suddenl}' dropping with almost closed wings"; its red bill is distinguish- 

 able at a considerable distance : on the earth it both walks and runs. 



Seebohm renders the cry of the Chough as Khef-o, klia'-o; but Howard 

 Saunders says — "The usual cry is a clear metallic 'Kling,' but in autumn I have 

 heard flocks uttering 'chough-chough' very plainly." The food consists of insects 

 and their larvae, worms, probabl}' mollusca, berries and grain. 



The nest is usually situated in some wholl}' inaccessible hole or cixvice, often 

 at some distance from the opening, in the face of an overhanging cliff or near 

 the roof of a cave ; but sometimes in old castles, church-towers, or disused lime- 

 kilns ; it is constructed of dry plant-stems, frecjuently of heather, and lined with 

 dead grass, rootlets, wool, and hair, or with some of these materials only. The 

 eggs, three to six in number, vary from dull creamy to greenish-white in ground- 

 colour, and are more or less boldly spotted and streaked with various shades of 

 brown and grey, some specimens having the markings pretty evenly distributed 

 over the entire surface, whilst others have them chiefly massed towards the larger 

 extremity. 



Nidification generally' commences late in April or early in May. 



Many local names have been given to this bird, amongst which those of 

 Cornish Crow and Red-legged Crow are somewhat freely used; one of the names 

 Hermit Crow is hardly applicable to a bird which lives and breeds in colonies. 



Seebohm says that the " Chough, like the Rook, leaves its roosting-place early 

 in the morning, and repairs to the neighbouring pastures in search of food, some- 

 times even being seen to follow the plough to pick up worms and grubs. It is 

 always a restless and a wary bird, never remaining long in one spot, but shifting 

 its ground in short uncertain flights." 



It may be questioned Avhether this species ever attains a great age in confine- 

 ment, but it is very difficult to form any definite opinion, because of the apparent 

 carelessness with which exhibitors note the ages of birds : thus a Chough for many 



VuL. II. 02 



