NATURE AND SPORT IN BRITAIN 



Vast colonies of jackdaws are to be found, and their 

 shrill cries are seldom long absent. Amusing as these 

 birds often are, I have a sentimental grievance against 

 them in that they are chiefly answerable for the dis- 

 appearance of that interesting bird, the chough, from 

 these parts. A hundred years ago this curious crow, 

 with its curved orange-red bill and red legs, used to 

 build in our southern chalk cliffs, especially near 

 Dover, but was, so tradition avers, driven out by the 

 noisy and aggressive jackdaw. Here and there the 

 chough still maintains a precarious existence in various 

 parts of Britain. Probably it is most numerous at the 

 present day in the sea-cliffs of Clare Island, in Clew 

 Bay, off the coast of county Mayo. 



Down below the cliffs the cormorant is occasionally 

 to be noted, as well as the turnstone, oyster-catcher, 

 and other shore birds. Occasionally, but not very 

 often, a seal will come ashore ; these must be far 

 wanderers from other parts of the coast. In the autumn 

 of 1902 a seal actually put ashore on the shingly beach 

 of Eastbourne, not far from opposite the Grand Hotel. 

 Not liking the look of the place and its inhabitants, he 

 straightway went off to sea again, a wise precaution, 

 or he would most certainly have been speedily put to 

 death. 



Among the vast stretches of gorse which add so much 

 to the beauty of the down country plenty of foxes 

 are to be found. Foxhounds are often upon the hills, 

 and draw for them regularly, and occasionally good 

 runs are had with them. What with convenient cliff 

 ledges, of which the cunning beasts avail themselves, 

 and open earths, these animals have, however, somewhat 

 the best of it. Still they are pretty often killed. One 

 is sorry to see the fine grey English foxes perceptibly 

 fewer than they used to be. They are magnificent 



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