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the young from the nest of various ages, and has carefully noted down the colours of the beak and legs. 

 When the bird has short feathers, and before it is able to fly, the beak and legs are pale dull brownish 

 orange; but as the bird grows these soft parts gradually become reddish orange, and then red as in 

 the adult. 



Essentially a frequenter of rocky localities, the Chough is a tolerably local species ; but its range 

 extends throughout Central and Southern Europe, and Northern Africa eastward to China. 



It is met with in Europe as far north as Great Britain, where it inhabits the cliffs which 

 fringe our coasts, but is a very locally distributed bird, and does not seem to have ever been 

 observed on our east coasts, except in Berwickshire, though found on the south and west side of 

 England. Mr. A. G. More writes (Ibis, 1865, p. 132) that it inhabits "the rocky headlands of 



the south and west coasts from the Isle of Wight to Ross and Sutherland According to 



Pennant it formerly nested on Dover cliffs ; he states that a pair brought from Cornwall escaped 

 and stocked these rocks, though the well-known passage from Shakespeare seems to imply an 

 earlier origin. It is believed to be now extinct in Sussex and Kent ; and a very few pairs now 

 remain on the Isle of Wight and at Purbeck. On the east coast a few pairs only are known to 

 breed, about St. Abb's Head and near Fast Castle, in Berwickshire." In a letter from Mr. Cecil 

 Smith, of Taunton, that gentleman writes to me as follows : — " In three of the western counties 

 (Cornwall, Devon, and Dorset) the Chough is pretty common in such localities as suit it, and is, 

 thanks to its having crept into the Sea-bird Act, increasing in numbers, especially in North 

 Devon. In Somerset it appears to be nearly extinct. Not very long ago a few used to breed 

 regularly on the cliffs near Mine Head ; but one year their nests were destroyed by some masons 

 who were employed about the harbour-works, since which time these birds have never returned 

 to their old quarters. The last appearance of the Chough in Somerset that I have heard of was 

 in April 1868, when a pair made their appearance at Bagborough, just under the Quantock 

 Hills, but quite away from the sea, and appeared disposed to build in the church-tower, but 

 were unfortunately shot by the keeper after they had been about there for a few days. These 

 two birds were supposed to be escapes ; but I examined them soon after they were killed, and 

 could find no trace of their having been in confinement : they were perhaps tamer than usual ; 

 but I have seen Choughs in other places come about houses for food, especially about the light- 

 house at Lundy Island, much as I was told these birds did at Bagborough. The stomach of one 

 of these birds which I examined contained a few oats, probably picked up about the stable-yard, 

 some grubs, and several half-digested remains of earwigs. At Lundy Island and on the opposite 

 coast of Wales there are a good many Choughs, and, as in North Devon, they are probably 

 increasing in numbers since the Sea-bird Act. I hope they may soon reestablish themselves in 

 Somerset. In Guernsey I have found the Chough common in most parts of the island ; indeed 

 it appears very much to take the place of the Jackdaw, which is not numerous there. I have 

 also seen a good many in the islands of Jettoo, Herm, Sark, and Alderney." Mr. Howard 

 Saunders informs me that " it is tolerably abundant at Lundy Island, off the coast of North 

 Devon, and, where not persecuted, is found along the greater part of the Devon and Cornish 

 precipices. It is less abundant in Dorsetshire. It is common in many parts of Wales ; and in 

 the lofty crags of the north-west of Ireland it is really numerous, as also at Bathlin Island." 

 Yarrell states that it is found in the Isle of Man, especially in the southern part and the rock 



