82 FIELD-STUDIES OF RARER BIRDS 



asking, and I have seen many nests in any situation, 

 from one very near the summit of the cliff indeed 

 to a point pretty close to its base, only, of course, 

 one well above high-water mark. Whatever the 

 situation, the Chough, if it can get it, simply revels 

 in a spot which is fearsomely overhung, by reason of 

 which, combined with the fact that the nest is some- 

 times as much as six feet in in the selected site, many 

 nests are absolutely untakeable ; while, of course, 

 the majority of those in the roofs of caves can only 

 be uncertainly reached with a long ladder at low 

 tide. On the other hand, to and from some nests 

 in very ordinary cliffs, I have descended and 

 ascended with ropes in a very few minutes. I have 

 seen one nest which could be reached from the top 

 of the cliff by merely lying flat and leaning over. 

 This example lay in a small embrasure behind a 

 flapping sod of turf, which had but to be lifted to 

 reveal the entire structure, eggs and all. This, 

 however, is very unusual. A partiality is often 

 evinced for a precipice composed of big boulders 

 and turf -covered slopes and 'ledges. Some pairs 

 breed on little, high, detached stack rocks close 

 inshore ; a few nest on larger rocky islets as 

 much as six miles from land ; but the majority 

 make their home on the cliffs of the " main," or 

 on those of islands of considerable size. Colonies 

 of sea-fowl Choughs detest as next-door neigh- 

 bours : sometimes, indeed, the Chough is practically 

 the only species nesting on a range of cliff. All 



