126 BIRDS. 



they were seen, but not breeding, at the time he left Kirkwall 

 in 1866. 



Mr. Moodie-Heddle says (1887), " Several times killed 

 among crows and rooks. Once, 1871, at Melsetter, flying over- 

 head in a mist, taken for a crow. About Kirkwall several were 

 seen during the springs of 1855-1858, and appeared to have 

 bred there." 



Mr. Kanken says : " Like the Rook, the Jackdaw was 

 only an occasional visitor to Orkney some forty or fifty years 

 ago ; now they are numerous ; hundreds may be seen in the 

 neighbourhood of Kirkwall. The Jackdaws congregate, 

 during the breeding season, principally at Winwick, South 

 Eonaldsay, building in clefts in the cliff, and making their 

 nest of dry seaweed." 



Mr. Irvine-Fortescue also mentions the Jackdaws appearing 

 at Kirkwall, and, in February 1883, he saw a considerable flock 

 of Rooks and Jackdaws, of which about a fifth appeared to 

 be the latter bird. 



Mr. Watt of Skaill tells us he has never seen Jackdaws in 

 his parish. 



Mr. Harvey says that a few Jackdaws appear in Sanday in 

 spring on rare occasions. 



In 1888 we found them breeding in the chimneys in the 

 Earl's Palace, Kirkwall. Other large colonies were seen by us 

 at Hersta and Stowse Heads, in South Ronaldsay, in 1889. 



Corvus cornix, L. Crow, 



OTC. = CTOW. Craa. Hoodie-craa. 



Most of the crows observed in Orkney belong to the grey variety ; 

 indeed, we have only one notice of the black, which, Mr. Reid 

 informs us, was shot by Hubbard, a bird-stuffer from Norfolk, at 

 Kirkwall in 1856. The Grey Crow, though in places not so 

 numerous as formerly, owing to stricter game-preserving, is still 

 common enough, doing vast havoc amongst the eggs of sea-birds, 

 carrying off such large morsels as those of the Guillemot, and 

 eating them just above the ledges from which they were taken. 

 At Rousay we have seen quite a heap of such shells, some of 



