Birds of Britain 



or end of May, the rookery is deserted : old and young keep 

 together and wander about the fields and arable land, 

 digging deeply with their powerful bills in search of larvae 

 and grubs, and destroying countless numbers of wire worms, 

 that renowned pest to agriculture. In this country it does 

 not migrate to any extent ; certain plantations are used as 

 regular roosting-places, and as evening draws on in the 

 winter months, long strings of these birds may be seen slowly 

 flying in their heavy characteristic manner to their nightly 

 shelter. Although the flight appears heavy and laboured, 

 they in reality travel at no mean pace, and in their daily 

 search for food often cover great distances. As in the case 

 of Jackdaws and Jays, there is a large immigration yearly 

 on our east coast during October and November, for in 

 Scandinavia and the northern portions of its breeding range 

 it is a regular migrant. Throughout the whole of our islands 

 it is a common bird, but is rather more local in Scotland, 

 and it is only of recent years that it has regularly bred in 

 the extreme north. From continual digging in the ground 

 the feather follicles round the base of the bill become 

 destroyed, leaving a whitish patch of bare skin which is an 

 unfailing characteristic of the adult birds. In young in- 

 dividuals, however, the feathers extend to the base of the 

 bill and do not appear to be permanently lost till during 

 the second autumn moult. The sexes are alike; their 

 colour is a uniform deep and glossy purplish blue. The 

 young resemble their parents, but lack the gloss to their 

 feathers. Length 19 in.; wing 12 '6 5 in. 



1 66 



