228 THE BIRDS OF NORTHAMPTONSHIRE 



Chough by the country people, and the real Chough 

 better known as the Recl-legged Daw, or Kiligrew 

 Crow. I have often heard the name of Chough 

 applied to the Grey Crow {Corvus comix) in various 

 parts of England. In open treeless districts the 

 Jackdaw will frequently nest in rabbit-burrows and 

 the crevices of abandoiied quarries and chalk-pits. 

 In the old walnut-tree at Pilton, of which an excellent 

 photograph appeared in no. 10 of our 'Natural-History 

 Journal ' (not too soon, for I regret to say that it has 

 recently lost another large branch), a great many 

 Jackdaws are in the habit of nesting and playing 

 havoc in the adjacent rectory garden; and here they 

 appear to live in amity with the Barn Owls, Stock- 

 Doves, and many other hole-breeding birds to which 

 the ancient tree in question has long afforded suitable 

 abodes. We go into no details as to the nests and 

 eggs of this species, as they are probably w^ell known 

 to all our readers. In Spain the Jackdaw is a very 

 local bird — e. g. it is almost unknown at Seville, 

 whilst at Lomo del Grullo, some twenty-five miles 

 from that city, we found it breeding in abundance in 

 the ruined walls of the old royal shooting-lodge and 

 the hollow trees in its immediate neighbourhood. 

 In Cyprus, also, we found the Jackdaw at Famagosta 

 only. The habits of this bird in semicaptivity are 

 amusing, as are those of most of the Crow family, 

 but its powers of imitation are not equal to those of 

 the Raven, Magpie, or Jay, although in petty larceny 

 the Jackdaw is surpassed by no bird with which we 

 are acquainted. In winter many Jackdaws roost 

 amongst the Rooks in our woods, and Ave have seen 

 three of the former hop into a Rook's nest and settle 

 themselves for the night. For an accurate appre- 



