LITTORAL LAND BIRDS. 269 



prefix " Cornish," although the bird is just as scarce 

 in Cornwall as elsewhere now. The food of this 

 bird is chiefly composed of beetles, worms, grubs, 

 and grain. The Chough breeds in colonies, which 

 resort to lofty ocean cliffs, especially such where 

 caves and fissures are plentiful. The nest is 

 very similar to that of the Jackdaw, and varies a 

 good deal in size. Sticks, heather stems, and dry 

 stalks of plants form the outside ; the cavity is lined 

 with dry grass, roots, wool, and similar soft material. 

 From four to six eggs are laid in May, creamy- 

 white in ground colour, blotched and spotted with 

 various shades of brown and gray. When dis- 

 turbed, the Choughs fly out of their nest-holes, and 

 behave generally in a very Jackdaw-like manner. 

 The Chough appears to be a sedentary species in 

 all parts of its distribution, 



ROCK PIPIT. 



In the present bird, the Anthus obsciirus of 

 ornithologists, we have one of the very few species 

 of Passeres that are confined exclusively to maritime 

 haunts. During the breeding season the Rock 

 Pipit frequents the rock-bound coasts, often resort- 

 ing to cliffs washed incessantly by the waves, rock 

 stacks some distance from shore, and precipitous 

 islands ; but in winter it may be observed on the 

 salt-marshes and stretches of sand. It is an olive- 

 brown little bird on the upper parts, streaked with 

 darker brown ; the eye stripe and throat are nearly 



