58 HAPPY HUNTING-GROUNDS 



for food, being, as he assured me, very palatable. 

 At that time there were no jackdaws on the island, 

 and he could remember when the first pair of these 

 " grey-headed crows " found their way over from lona. 

 Jackdaws now swarm all over the island, and have 

 usurped in many cliffs and cairns the nesting-places of 

 their comparatively harmless cousins. In spite of the 

 Tudor sovereigns, I do not believe that choughs do 

 much damage to corn and grain. I often saw them 

 feeding on rushy pastures, seldom if ever upon the 

 arable land. I should think that about a hundred 

 couple breed upon the cliffs, but I was assured that 

 their numbers have neither increased or diminished to 

 any perceptible extent in recent years. The note 

 somewhat resembles that of the jackdaw, but is more 

 shrill and metallic. They are seldom seen alone, 

 usually in small flocks of three or four. They fly 

 about a good deal with no apparent object, and in 

 strong winds often rise and drop about ten feet. I 

 quote again from Alfred's note-book : 



" On 22nd August 1899, 1 saw some choughs quite 

 close on the ground, and was much amused at their 

 actions. They were not actually playing together, but 

 all their movements reminded me of a clown in a circus 

 company out for a holiday. They were busily engaged 

 in feeding picking the beetles and insects out of some 

 dry cow-dung, and using their curved beaks in the 

 most scientific way, nearly always putting them under 

 the far side of the object which they wanted to turn 

 over and ' howking ' towards themselves. They 

 appeared to be in a hurry, running at a great pace 

 from spot to spot, although they evidently felt the 



