310 CORVID^.. 



species is making ready for the niglit. Daws also when 

 forming a company by themselves will often rise suddenly 

 in the air, and indulge in many playful excursions and cir- 

 cuits aloft, during which from time to time all will loudly 

 exclaim almost at the same moment, producing a very singu- 

 lar effect. In whatever way they may be flocking, they 

 nearly always fly in pairs, thereby corroborating Water- 

 ton's conjecture that once mated they remain paired for life. 

 The Daw is found to breed more or less abundantly 

 throughout the United Kingdom, except in the Outer He- 

 brides, where it seems never to have been observed, and in 

 Shetland, where it only occurs accidentally. It occasionally 

 appears in the Faeroes, but has never been recorded from 

 Iceland by Faber or his successors in that country. On the 

 continent it is not known to have occurred beyond lat. 65° N., 

 which it reaches on the coasts of Norway and Sweden, and 

 again about Archangel, but its range does not extend to the 

 northward of 60° on the Ural or in Siberia, and Jenniseisk, 

 where it seems to be but a stray visitor, is apparently its 

 furthermost limit in an eastern direction. It is said to be 

 common in Turkestan, and it visits the Punjab in winter. 

 It has not yet been recorded from Persia, but abounds in the 

 Caucasus and Armenia, and thence to Palestine. It was 

 reported by Riippell to be common in Arabia Petrsea and 

 Lower Egypt, but doubts have latel}^ been cast on the state- 

 ment. In parts of Algeria it is very abundant, yet its 

 distribution in Morocco must be casual or local, as, though 

 observed in large flocks at Tetuan, it is not recorded from 

 Tangier. It has occurred as a straggler in the Canaries. 

 It appears to frequent all the Mediterranean islands, from 

 Cyprus, where Lord Lilford found it breeding, to Sardinia, but 

 Major von Homeyer did not observe it in the Balearic Isles. 

 Both in Spain and Portugal it seems to be a very local 

 species, and indeed as much may be said for it throughout 

 Europe generally, though it occurs in every country ; but 

 observations are wanting to define its distribution properly, 

 especially as in some districts it is recorded as a migrant 

 onlv, while it is said to be resident in others close to them. 



