﻿Beneficial to Agriculture. 43 



The adult has the forehead, lores and throat bare of feathers, 

 the rough granulated skin being a greyish or dirty-white colour. 

 The black plumage has a purplish-blue gloss ; the bill, legs and 

 feet are black. The female is less brilliant. The young have the 

 base of the bill covered with black bristles, which remain until 

 the second moult. 



JACKDAW. 



Colceus monedala. 



The Jackdaw is commonly distributed throughout England, 

 Wales and Ireland, and also Scotland, excepting in the north-west, 

 where it is uncommon. It only occasionally occurs in the Shet- 

 lands ; in the outer Hebrides it is unknown, but in the Orkneys 

 it is fairly abundant. It is a resident species, but an autumnal 

 migration takes place, when large numbers reach this country 

 from the continent and return again in the spring. For nesting- 

 purposes the Jackdaw selects holes and crevices in cliffs, rocks, 

 ruins, church-towers, chimneys and hollow trees ; but sometimes 

 rabbit-burrows are chosen. The nest is generally a bulky structure 

 of sticks, straw and other litter, with a dense lining of wool, hair, 

 feathers and other soft materials. 



The eggs are usually laid at the end of April or early in May. 

 They number from four to six and vary considerably in ground- 

 colour, which may be pale greenish-blue, light blue or even 

 almost white ; they are spotted and blotched with black, olive- 

 brown or lavender-grey. 



As regards agriculture this bird does a large amount of good 

 owing to the great number of noxious insects it destroys, especially 

 such destructive pests as leather-jackets (Tipula larvae), cockchafer 

 grubs and wire-worms and also the parasites infesting sheep, as 

 well as various other insects, worms and slugs. But it varies its 

 diet with fruit, grain, peas, acorns, mice, eggs and young birds. 

 As its chief food consists of insects throughout the greater part of 

 the year it renders much benefit to agriculture. 



The male Jackdaw has the upper parts glossy black, shot with 

 purple and green reflections, the nape, ear-coverts and side of the 

 neck ash-grey. The whole of the under parts are dull black, the 

 bill and feet black, the iris pearl-white. The female is slightly 

 smaller than the male and the nape is of a duller grey. 



B 



