CORVIDS. 219 
Soon after this occurrence a letter appeared in the 
Taunton papers from Sir Alexander Hood claiming 
these birds as escapes from his park, and saying that 
they had paired and strayed away from St. Audries, 
where he had for years kept a few, hoping they 
would breed, and thus this interesting and rare bird 
would again become naturalized on our coast. 
Whether these birds were really Sir Alexander’s, or 
some driven from their own homes either by their 
enemies the Jackdaws or by some of their own 
species to seek a new nesting-place, may still appear 
doubtful; there was certainly no mark of domestica- 
tion about them; their plumage was perfect: on the 
other hand, they were perhaps tamer than is usual 
with these birds, although I have seen them both at 
Lundy Island and in Guernsey, where they are 
plentiful, come about farm-houses and other build- 
ings in search of food. 
This bird is often called the “ Cornish Chough,” 
but there seems to be no particular reason for that 
name being given to it, as it is quite as common in 
many other counties, both in England and Wales, 
that suit its habits. Near this county it is to be 
found, as I before said, in Lundy Island and in both 
the neighbouring counties of Devon and Dorset, and, 
on the opposite coast of Wales, in Glamorganshire 
and in Pembrokeshire, in which latter county I have 
seen these birds in considerable numbers, and 
according to Yarrell one has been killed in the 
U2 
