524 



chin glossy black ; entire nape, sides of the head and neck, and hind neck light grey, nearly pure 

 white on the sides of the nape and of the lower neck ; upper parts, including the wings and tail, raven- 

 black ; the wings and tail glossed with purple ; the back and rump slightly tinged with greyish black ; 

 throat and underparts dull black with a slate-grey tinge; legs and bill black; iris nearly white. 

 Total length about 13 inches, culmen T3, wing 90, tail 52, tarsus 1*9. 



Adult Female (Sweden) . Resembles the male, but the grey on the neck is a trifle less pure, and rather 

 darker. 



Nestling (Sweden). Duller than the adult, the underparts much greyer, and the grey on the neck much 

 darker and duller. 



Obs. After a most careful examination and comparison of specimens from various parts of Europe with 

 those in the collection of Canon Tristram, I entirely fail to find any character by which the form 

 described under the name of Corvus collaris can always be distinguished from typical C. monedula. 

 Taking the Scandinavian bird to be the typical C. monedula of Linnaeus, I find that examples from 

 there agree precisely with Colonel Drummond- Hay's description of his C. collaris ; and compared with 

 a specimen sent to me by Canon Tristram, I find that the specimen I have described has the hind neck 

 far lighter grey, and the upper parts are similarly shaded with grey, but the undersurface of the body 

 is not quite so grey. It may not be out of place to transcribe here Colonel Drummond- Hay's descrip- 

 tion of C. collaris, viz. : — "About the same size as the common Jackdaw, but differs in having the 

 hinder part of the neck of a light silvery gray, and a large white crescented patch on each side of the 

 neck ; the whole of the back and upper tail-coverts dusky, and shaded with ash ; throat black, the 

 whole of the lower parts lead-colour, each feather darker in the centre ; the ring on the female is not 

 quite so conspicuous as in the male." 



I may name that I have seen British specimens with very white napes; and from North Russia I have both 

 dark-naped and white-naped specimens, one with the ring on the lower neck well developed, and others 

 with it scarcely visible. Mr. Seebohm also informs me that he has seen every intermediate form in 

 the same flock in North Russia. 



The Jackdaw is found throughout Europe, but is rather local in its distribution. It also occurs 

 in North Africa and Western Asia ; but it is rather difficult to define the eastern limits of its 

 range. As a rule it is a resident, remaining throughout the winter, even in Northern Russia ; 

 but in most parts of the high north it migrates southwards for the winter, and is, moreover, a 

 partial migrant in many other parts of Europe. 



Throughout Great Britain it is a tolerably common species, and is found both inland and 

 on the coast, especially on the latter, where there are rugged cliffs, in the clefts of which it 

 finds suitable nesting-places ; but it appears to decrease somewhat in numbers towards the north 

 of Scotland. Mr. Cecil Smith informs me that it is by no means numerous in Guernsey, where 

 the Chough takes its place, but it is commoner on the small islands of Jettoo and Herm. 



I have found it common on the Isle of Wight and on the south coast of England ; and it is 

 met with in all the counties of England. It is resident and common in Scotland, but is not often 

 seen in Shetland. A few are said to breed annually in South Ronaldshay, in Orkney. 



Thompson says that it is met with throughout Ireland, especially in such parts as are well 

 cultivated and where there are old buildings. 



It is said to straggle as far as Iceland, where, however, it is of rare occurrence, as also on 



