334 BIRDS OF PARADISE, 
Crows, in allusion to the red bill and legs of some of the species, England 
possesses a good example in the common CHouGH. In ali these birds the beak 
is long and slender, slightly curved downwards, and with a smail notch at 
the extremity. , ; 
The Chough is ,essentially a coast bird, loving rocks and stones, and 
having a great dislike to grass or hedges of every kind. When in search of 
food it will venture for some little distance inland, and has been observed in 
the act of following the ploughman after the manner of the rook, busily en- 
gaged in picking up the grubs that are unearthed. Sometimes it will feed 
upon berries and grain, but evidently prefers animal food, pecking its prey 
out of the crevices among the rocks with great rapidity and certainty of aim, 
its long and curved beak aiding it in drawing the concealed insects out of 
their hiding-places. ; cur 
As is the case with nearly all coast birds, the Chough builds its nest at no 
great distance from the sea, generally choosing some convenient crevice in a 
cliff, or an old ruin near the sea-shore. The nest is always placed at a con- 
siderable elevation from the ground, and is made of sticks lined with wool, 
hair, and other soft sub- 
stances. The eggs are usally 
five in number, and in 
colour they are yellower 
than those of the crow or 
rook but are spotted with 
similar tints. The general 
colour of the Chough is 
black, with a rich blue gloss, 
contrasting well with the ver- 
milion-red of the beak, legs, 
andtoes. Theclawsare black, 
and the eyes are curiously 
coloured with red and blue 
© in conceuvtric circles. The 
total length of the adult 
male Chough is about seven- 
teen inches, and the female 
is about three inches shorter. 
CHOUGH. —(Coracia gracula.) 
THE supremely glorious 
members of the feathered 
tribe which have by common consent been termed BIRDS OF PARADISE are 
not very numierous in species, but are so different in form and colour, according 
to the sex and age, that they have been ‘considered far more numerous tkan 
is really the case. The plumage of these birds is wonderfully rich and varied, 
and not even the humming-birds themselves present such an inexhaustible 
treasury of form and colour as is found among the comparatively few species 
of the Birds of Paradise. In all, the feathers glow with resplendent radi- 
ance; in nearly all there is some strange and altogether unique arrangement 
of the plumage ; and in many the feathers are modified into plumes, rib- 
bons, and streamers, that produce the most surprising and lovely effects. 
THE EMERALD BIRD OF PARADISE is the species which is most generally 
known, and is the one of which were related many absurd tales. The specific 
term, afoda, signifies “footless,” and was given to the bird by Linnzeus in 
allusion to those fables which were then current, but which he did not believe. 
This most lovely bird 1s a native of New Guinea, where it is far from 
uncommon, and 1s annually killed in great numbers for the sake of its 
