424 The Zoologist — October, 1866. 



In the following passage the chough, considered as a cliflf bird, has 

 been truly placed by our poet in the situation most natural to it : — 



" Come on, Sir ; here's the place ; stand still." 

 " How fearful 

 And dizzy 'tis to cast one's eyes so low ! 

 The crows and choughs that wing the midway air 

 Show scarce so gross as beetles." 



King Lear, Act iv. Scene 6. 



The allusion is to the cliffs at Dover, one of which is still known as 

 Shakespeare's cliff. 



We may infer from the following lines that the chough was con- 

 sidered a bird of omen : — 



" Augurs that understood relations have, 

 By magot pies and choughs and rooks, brought forth 

 The secret'st mau of blood." 



Macbeth, Act iii. Scene 4. 



* * " Russet-pated chouglu, many in sort, 

 Rising and cawing at the gun's report, 

 Sever themselves and madly sweep the skies." 



Midsummer Night's Dream, Act iii. Scene 2. 



The word choughs here would seem to refer rather to jackdaws, 

 which from their gray heads would more appropriately bear the name 

 of " russet-pated." The head of the chough, like the rest of its body, 

 is perfectly black. 



In ' Henry IV.', in the Scene where Falstaff with the Prince and 

 Poins meet to rob the travellers at Gadshill, Falstaff calls the victims 

 " fat chuffs^' probably from their strutting about with much noise. 

 And that Shakespeare considered the chough a great chatterer we 

 may infer from the following lines : — 



" There be * * * birds that can prate as amply and unnecessarily as this 

 Gonzalo ; I myself could make a chough of as deep chat.'' — Tempest, Act ii. Scene 1. 



J. E. Harting. 



Kingsbury, Middlesex. 



(To be continued.) 



