THE ROOK— THE CROW. 271 



tunity. Captain Brown quoting from a Scotch newspaper tells 

 of a crow which made an attempt to cany off one of a 

 brood of fourteen chickens, but which on being disturbed, 

 dropped its prey and made its escape, returning some time 

 after with thirteen other crows and carrying off the whole 

 brood. 



The Taokdaw. The Jackdaw, measures about fourteen inches, 

 and is thus the smallest of the birds of its kind. It builds 

 in old ruins, church towers, and rocky eminences, in which 

 particular it differs from the rooks and the crows, who select 

 the topmost branches of trees for this purpose. Like its near 

 relatives with whom we have been dealing, it is thievish and 

 secretive in its habits, showing a preference, in its appropriations, 

 for bright objects such as silver spoons and gold rings. These 

 habits and their terrible consequences have been immortalized 

 by the history and fate of the "Jackdaw of Rheims." 



The Chough. The Chough frequents the western sea coasts 

 of England, the north, south, and west of Ireland and the 

 Isle of Man, and the borders of the snow line or Alpine 

 ranges on the continent of Europe. It nests in the cavities 

 of high cliffs and attains a length of seventeen inches; its 

 beak and legs are of a brilliant red. When tamed it shows 

 the same qualities of curiosity and secretiveness which char- 

 acterise the other birds of its kind. 



rpjig The Bird of Paradise is one of the most beautiful 



Bird of. of living birds. Mr. Wallace thus describes the 

 Paradisea apoda which is the largest species 

 known: "The body, wings, and tail are of a rich coffee 

 brown, which deepens on the breast to a blackish-violet or 

 purple brown. The whole top of the head and neck is of 

 an exceedingly delicate straw-yellow, the feathers being short 

 and close set, so as to resemble plush or velvet; the lower 

 part of the throat up to the eye is clothed with scaly 

 feathers of an emerald green colour, and with a rich metallic 

 gloss, and velvety plumes of a still deeper green, extend in 



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