388 Ornithological Observations and Reflections in Shetland. 
carefully examined, and anything worth consideration that 
may chance to be upon them, deftly and heedfully removed. 
This must be a ticklish affair for the sheep, and whilst it is 
proceeding one seems to see in her an expression as of flinching, 
even though she does not really do so. Sometimes, indeed, 
she does flinch, a little, but for the most part, she stands stock 
still, her head held rigidly though it is without the support 
she began with, for the first sheep, having been operated upon 
and her operator gone, has walked on after the others. And 
just as the sheep seems to feel her position, so the Jackdaw has, 
in some odd manner, the appearance of knowing what is 
expected of him. A sense of responsibility is all about him, 
and he acts with the greatest circumspection. This is not 
imaginary, but real. The facts, indeed, being as they are, it 
must obviously be the case. . .. It is my impression that 
the eye itself of the sheep is searched round in this way, by 
the Jackdaw. At the least his beak must often be very near 
to it, and when one considers the group of birds to which he 
belongs—that the Raven and Carrion Crow are his very near 
relatives—it really seems surprising that he should refrain 
from plunging it into what must seem to him—or would, at 
least, have seemed to his ancestors—a tempting and luscious- 
looking morsel. This shows, to my mind that it is only very 
gradually that sheep have allowed their heads, or rather their 
faces to be searched thus closely. Had no difficulty been 
experienced in the commencement, the eve, I believe, would 
have been attacked. At that period, however, when the 
Jackdaw was capable of acting in this way, the sheep would 
probably never have allowed him on her head. By the time 
he had established himself there he was much more civilised, 
and being suffered to approach nearer and nearer to the more 
sensitive parts, in proportion as he became more and more 
gentle, he is now unable (and of course has no inducement) 
to break through habits of very tender dealing which have 
been gradually growing from one generation to another.’ * 
It will be observed that it is the head in particular which 
is thus searched by the Jackdaw, and this is just the part 
which, unless special pains were taken to push it down under 
the water into which sheep, to be dipped, are made to jump— 
which however is commonly done—would be least affected by 
the process. 

70; 

The Lancashive and Cheshive Naturalist for September contains 
‘A Preliminary List of diptera [of Lancashire and Cheshire’], by H. Bury. 
A comprehensive list of the diptera of these counties, by the late B. Cocke, 
appeared in The Naturalist for 188o. 

* The Saturday Review, Feb. 7th, 1903. The facts were witnessed by 
me in a field near Cheltenham. 


Naturalist, 
