1919-] Birds in tke North of France. 59 



April; the last I saw were two at Brie on 26 April, which 

 attacked a marsh-harrier. lu the autumn I first saw one in 

 the Canche estuary on 14 October ; day by day its numbers 

 increased, and there were soon many hundreds all over the 

 sand-bauks and the sand-dunes near by. 



A common bird in the La Bassee sector in winter and 

 often about the firing-line. During February, fully 300 

 came to roost at night in some poplars at Le Preol, near 

 Bethune. 



Corvus monedula. Jackdaw. 



Fairly common in many places, though I have no note 

 oi: its occurrence in Somijie east of Peronne. In October 

 occasionally seen in the Canche estuary with the flocks 

 of hooded crows and rooks; possibly these were birds of 

 passage. 



Corvus frugilegus. Rook. 



Common throughout. I saw a very large flock in March 

 1917 in the devastated Somme area; iu October, numbers 

 (probably immigrants) with liooded and carrion crows on 

 the Canche estuary marshes. 



Pica pica. Magpie. 



In remarkable numbers everywhere. In parts of Somme, 

 where most of the large trees had been felled, they nested 

 in quite small trees. I saw them about the firing-line at 

 Givenchy. 



Garrulus glandarius. Jay. 



Fairly common in all woods J. visited. On 14 October at 

 Etaples there was a number in a small wood where I did 

 not see them before or afterwards — possibly a bunch of 

 immigrants. 



Sturnus vulgaris. Starling. 



Common. Nested in the ruined houses at Bertincourt. 

 Many big flocks in winter. They had a " roost ^' at Le 

 Preol, near Bethune. 



