234 BIRDS OF SOMERSETSHIRE. 



dropped. When located on the sea-shore the Jack- 

 daw picks up a living upon shell-fish, sand-eels, and 

 the remains of other fish and Crustacea: it also 

 commits considerable depredations upon the eggs of 

 the different sea-fowl who have the misfortune to lay 

 near its habitation. 



The nest of the Jackdaw is placed in a variety of 

 situations : on the sea-shore it is generally placed in 

 holes or crevices of cliffs, from whence it emerges 

 and robs the poor Kazorbills, Guillemots, Gulls, 

 &c. ; inland it generally finds a convenient situation 

 for its nest in the ornamental niches, figures or 

 tracery work of cathedrals and other buildings ; even 

 the steps up to a church-tower, if not much used, 

 are often made nearly impassable by the rubbish 

 collected there by the Jackdaws for their nests : in 

 collecting all this material this bird often does con- 

 siderable mischief, as it steals anything it can lay its 

 hands, or rather its beak, upon. One rather curious 

 instance is mentioned by Yarrell, who says that the 

 Jackdaws who built in the neighbouring church- 

 towers stole all the pegs on which the names of the 

 plants in the Botanic Gardens at Cambridge were 

 written, thus causing considerable difficulty in after- 

 wards identifying some of the plants. In con- 

 finement the Jackdaw is a most impudent and 

 amusing bird, always hopping about and look- 

 ing out for some mischief to do. 



