ALONG ROCK-BOUND COASTS. 209 



a substitute. The four or five eggs are dull 

 bluish white in ground colour, profusely mottled 

 with grayish or reddish brown, and sometimes 

 sparingly streaked with darker brown. Rarely 

 is more than one brood reared in the year, and 

 young and old often keep together all through the 

 autumn. The Rock Pipit has the upper parts 

 olive-brown, streaked with darker brown, a pale 

 eyestripe, and the underparts below the white 

 throat are sandy buff (darkest on the breast, and 

 shading into olive on the flanks) streaked except 

 on the belly with brown. The light patch on 

 the outermost tail feathers is smoke-brown. 



Our next species unfortunately is fast be- 

 coming a rare bird. No bird that breeds on the 

 rock-bound coasts is now more locally dispersed 

 than the CHOUGH (Pyrrhocorax graculus}. This 

 pretty bird is distinguished by his glossy black British 

 plumage and curved red bill. The orbits of the ncS 

 eyes, as well as the legs and toes, are also red, Sh 

 but these peculiarities are not so readily observed. 

 At one time, it may be remarked, the Chough 

 frequented inland cliffs, but these have long been 

 deserted for the ocean rocks. I am of opinion 

 that the Jackdaw has done more to exterminate 

 the Chough than anything else, not even except- 

 ing man. Times have prospered with the pert, 

 lively, quarrelsome Jackdaw ; and he has succeeded 

 in ousting his more peaceable neighbour, not only 

 from the country cliffs, but even the sea-girt rocks 

 whither he has followed it. The British colonies of 

 Choughs are few and far between. I personally 

 know of one or two, but forbear to mention their 

 exact location for reasons which I am sure the 

 reader who loves birds will appreciate. In its 



