32 BRITISH BIRDS' NESTS. 



Situation and Locality. In clefts and fissures of 

 sea cliffs, holes in old ruins, and in caves. The bird 

 is said to still breed very sparingly in Cornwall, 

 Devonshire and Lundy Island. It also nests, though 

 much persecuted, along the Welsh coast, in the Isle 

 of Man, and more plentifully on the west coast of 

 Scotland, and in some parts of Ireland ; but every- 

 where seems to be on the decrease a distress- 

 ing fact which it is to be earnestly hoped all 

 true lovers of British birds will do their very 

 utmost to assist in checking, as there is every 

 reason to believe that this interesting bird is 

 much rarer than it is generally supposed to be. 



Materials. Sticks, dead heather stalks, dry 

 grass, wool, and occasionally hair. 



Eggs. Four or five, occasionally six. Dirty 

 or creamy white, sometimes faintly tinged with 

 green or blue, spotted with light brown and 

 ash-grey. Markings variable, both in regard to 

 size and distribution. Size about 1.52 by i.i in. 

 (See Plate I.) 



Time. May. 



Remarks. Resident. Notes : creea, creea, ren- 

 dered by Mr. Seebohm as khee-o, khee-o. It utters a 

 quick, chattering noise at times, like a Starling. 

 Local and other names : Cornish Daw, Cornish 

 Chough, Cornwall Kae, Market Jew Crow, Chauk 

 Daw, Red-legged Crow, Killigrew, Hermit Crow, Cliff 

 Daw, Gesner's Wood Crow. Gregarious. It is 

 thought by some ornithologists that the Jackdaw 

 has driven the Chough away from some of its 

 old haunts. Not a very close sitter, and noisy 

 when intruded upon. 



