APRIL. JACKDAWS PEREGRINE FALCONS. 215 



over the wall, and waited there for the mail to 

 pass. As soon as it came opposite his station off 

 he set, galloping round and round the field with 

 his heels generally higher than his head, and his 

 long mane and tail streaming out, evidently show- 

 ing himself off to obtain the applause of the pas- 

 sengers, to whom he seemed to afford daily amuse- 

 ment, as every head was turned back to see him as 

 long as they possibly could. 



Riding by the heronry on the Findhorn I saw the 

 keeper at Altyi'e searching in all the jackdaws' nests 

 that he could reach for the remains of the herons' 

 eggs. These active little marauders live in great 

 numbers in the rocks immediately opposite the 

 herons, and keep up a constant warfare with them 

 during the breeding season, stealing an immense 

 number of their eggs, which they carry over to the 

 holes and crevices of the opposite rocks and eat them, 

 out of reach of the herons. The keeper took hand- 

 fuls of the shells of the herons' eggs out of some of 

 the jackdaws' holes : the injury to the heronry from 

 this cause must be very great, as the plundering 

 seems to be incessantly going on. 



I see that the peregrine falcon still breeds near 

 the heronry : a pair only remain in the rock, as 

 every season they drive away their young ones to 

 find a resting-place elsewhere. The barn owl also 



