JACKDAW. 323 



smith gives a very interesting account of it in the Temple Gardens, 

 London, as observed by himself. A most graphic description of 

 its manner of life about Selborne is furnished by White. Sir Wm. 

 Jardine introduces it in a picturesque manner as an adjunct to 

 the scenery of the park. Sir Thomas Dick Lauder, in one of his 

 series of very interesting papers on Scottish Eivers, published in 

 Tait's Magazine, * — that on the Tyne — gives in connection with 

 Ormiston Hall, a full account of the proceedings of a colony of 

 rooks, " from morn to latest eve f and Mr. Macgillivray, as if 

 conceiving that the subject of the bird's habits by day had already 

 been exhausted, imparts a new feature to the history of the species, 

 by visiting a rookery at night, and relating the proceedings at 

 that period. 



THE JACKDAW. 



Corvus monedula, Linn. 



Is found throughout the island, especially where the 

 labour of man is evinced by buildings, the planta- 

 tion of trees, and the cultivation of the ground. 



But it is much more interesting to meet with this bird in the bold 

 and precipitous cliffs, — be they inland or marine, — winch are its 

 natural abode. 



The basaltic precipices of the north-east of Ireland are much 

 resorted to by these birds} as building haunts. I have also ob- 

 served them in the month of October, of different years, at the 

 approach of evening, to gather in as great numbers as during sum- 

 mer, to roost among the rocks at the Cavehill, near Belfast. At the 

 wild peninsula of the Horn, county of Donegal, they breed in the 

 marine cliffs, as they do within caverns of very small islands about 

 three miles distant from the coast of Kerry (Neligan). On the 

 29th of May, 1836, I saw many jackdaws at the precipitous 

 sandy banks rising above the beach of Lough Neagh, at Massa- 

 reene deer-park, where they breed in holes, all of which were said 

 by the gamekeeper to be the deserted burrows of rabbits. Jack- 

 * February, 1848, p. 98. 

 Y 2 



