56 THE CHOUGH 



near Melbourne In Cambridgeshire, some large patches of reeds, 

 which were rented at a certain annual sum, and which the tenant 

 sold to builders to use in making plaster-floors and ceilings of rooms. 

 Towards autumn, Starlings resorted to them in such numbers to 

 roost, that unless scared away, they settled upon the reeds, broke 

 them down and rendered them completely useless. It required a 

 person to keep watch every evening for some time, and fire at them 

 repeatedly with a gun as they were settling down ; but as the spot 

 was a favourite one, they showed considerable reluctance in quitting 

 it. 



THE ROSE-COLOURED STARLING 



PASTOR ROSEUS 



Head crested ; crest and neck black, lustrous with violet reflections ; back 

 and lower parts rose-colour ; wings and tail lustrous brown. Length 

 eight inches. 



A very beautiful bird, partaking the characters of the Starlings 

 and Crows. It is an inhabitant of Syria, Asia Minor, and Africa, 

 where it is gregarious in its habits, and does much mischief to the 

 grain crops. It comes as a straggler to our country from spring 

 to autumn ; only, unfortunately, to be shot as a ' specimen '. 



FAMILY CORVID.E 

 THE CHOUGH 



PYRRHOCORAX GRACULUS 



Plumage black, with purple and green reflections ; beak and feet coral-red j 

 claws black. Length sixteen inches ; width thirty-two inches. Eggs 

 yellowish white, spotted with ash-grey and light brown. 



Continental authors state that the bird which we call the Chough 

 or Red-legged Crow frequents the highest mountain regions and 

 the confines of perpetual snow, and that hence it is sometimes 

 known by the name of ' Jackdaw of the Alps '. Like the rest of 

 its tribe, it is omnivorous, and fives in societies, like the common 

 Jackdaw and Rook, but rarely deserting, and then only when pressed 

 by hunger, the place of its birth. With us it is never seen inland, 

 confining itself to the rocky sea-coast, where it builds its nest in 

 inaccessible cliffs, and leads the same kind of life with its sable 

 relatives the Crows and Jackdaws, though it never ventures, as they 

 do, far from its sea-side strongholds. The name Chough was proba- 

 bly in ancient times used as a common appellation of all the mem- 

 bers of the family Corvidae which have black plumage, this one being 



