The Jackdaw 163 



The upper parts of the male Jackdaw are glossy black with purple aud green 

 reflections ; the ear-coverts, nape and sides of neck ashy-grey inclining to white ; 

 under parts dull black ; bill and feet black, iris greyish-white. The female is 

 slightlj' smaller than the male and has a slightly smaller and duller grey patch 

 on the nape ; her bill is also a trifle shorter. The young are dull black, the 

 grey patch very feebly indicated. 



There are few places where the Jackdaw cannot find a home : coming from 

 the Continent to England, this bird may be .seen in numbers flj'ing in and out of 

 holes in the cliffs of Dover, its incessant cries clunk, chack, being a welcome sound; 

 so also in country or town, in ruined castle or modern palace the Jackdaw is 

 everywhere to be seen. I must confess that I like the Jackdaw : he is a bird 

 with considerable sense of humour, and (in spite of much persecution) he seems 

 to bear no malice. The late Lord Lilford, however, could find nothing good to 

 say of him : the following being some of his remarks respecting the Jackdaw in 

 his "Birds of Northamptonshire": — "This amusing but most pernicious bird is 

 extremely common in our county, and probably onl}' too well-known to most of 

 our readers. In the hollow trees about the park and pleasure-grounds of Lilford 

 they used to swarm at the breeding-season, till we found it absolutely necessary 

 to wage war upon them in the interests of our garden, poultry, and game, to say 

 nothing of those of the Barn Owl, a species for which we have always entertained 

 a sincere respect and affection. The Daws not only carried off numbers of young 

 chickens, pheasants, and partridges, and committed havoc among our green-peas 

 and other vegetables, but in several instances, to oirr knowledge, took possession 

 of the Owls' nests, destroyed their eggs, and piled up their own nests in the cavities 

 selected by the harmless and most useful bird of night ; occasionally, however, the 

 tables are turned, as we have previously mentioned when treating of the Barn Owl. 

 For these misdemeanours we have for some years past made a practice of shooting 

 the old Jackdaws and destroying their nests and eggs wherever we found them, 

 with the result of decided benefit to ourselves and our neighbours. The Jackdaw 

 disputes the palm for noisy and obtrusive impudence with the House-Sparrow, and 

 does not, to our knowledge, compensate us in any way for his misdoings. That 

 the Daw fulfils his duties in the great scheme of nature I do not deny, but must 

 confess that I am unable to discover what they may be." 



Seebohm, however, although he admits that it levies blackmail on the Gulls, 

 says of the Jackdaw: — "It is quite as harmless a bird as the Rook, and at certain 

 seasons of the year it is very useful. You have but to watch its actions in the 

 fields to be convinced of this." 



The Jackdaw's flight is like himself, strong, but somewhat purposeless ; he 



