CHOUGH. 99 
fond of being caressed, but, though attached to them, was 
pugnacious even to its best friends if they affronted it: children 
he excessively disliked, was impudent to strangers, and roused 
by the sight of them to hostility even to his friends. One 
lady he was particularly friendly with, and would sit on the 
back of ker chair for hours. He showed a great desire to 
ascend, by climbing up a ladder or stairs; would knock at a 
window with his bill until he was let in, and would pull 
about any small articles that came in his way. 
Bishop Stanley says, ‘on a lawn, where five were kept, one 
particular part of it was found to turn brown, and exhibit all 
the appearance of a field suffering under severe drought, covered, 
as it was, with dead and withering tufts of grass; which it 
was soon ascertained the Choughs were incessantly employed 
in tearing up the roots of, for the purpose of getting at the 
grubs. The way they set about it was thus:—They would 
walk quietly over the surface, every now and then turning 
their heads, with the ear towards the ground, listening atten- 
tively in the most significant manner. Sometimes they appeared 
to listen in vain, and then walked on, till at length, instead 
of moving from the spot, they fell to picking a hole, as fast 
as their heads could nod;’ they were often successful in their 
search, so that this acccunt, in two respects, both as to their 
food and their going on the grass, militates against that of 
Montagu. 
The flight of this species is described as resembling that of 
the Rook, but is said to be quicker, and occasicnally to be 
performed in airy circles, with little motion of the wings. 
‘They flap their wings, then sail on forty or fifty yards, and 
so on gradually, until they alight.’ They do not alight on 
trees, but perch on the rocks, and their gait is stately and 
graceful. The feathers of the wings are much expanded in 
flying, as in others of the Crow tribe, giving the wing a fringed - 
appearance. 
The food of the Chough consists principally of grasshoppers, 
chaffers, and other insects, in search of which it sometimes 
follows the plough lke the Rooks; and crustacea, but it also 
eats grain and berries, and certainly carrion sometimes. 
Smaller insects are devoured whole; the larger it holds in its 
feet to peck at. ‘It seldom attempts to hide the remainder 
of a meal.’ These birds drink much. 
The note is shrill, but is said to be lively and not disagreeable, 
which is, however, but negative praise. It somewhat resembles 
