332 THE ZOOLOGIST. 



THE "RUSSET-PATED CHOUGH" OF SHAKESPEAEE. 



By the Editor. 



In a review of 'The Ornithology of Shakespeare' which 

 appeared in 'Nature,' 28th Dee. 1871, the reviewer ohserved 

 that ''Without doubt the poet had in his mind the real Cornish 

 Chough, and the expression is quite accurate. ' Russet-pated' is 

 having red pattes, or feet (cf. the heraldic croix pattee), not a red 

 pate or head, a feature equally inapplicable to Chough or Daw, 

 while the red feet of the former are as diagnostic as can be." 



The late Edward Newman, struck apparently by the ingenuity 

 of this criticism, in an editorial note appended to a review of the 

 same book which appeared in ' The Zoologist' for 1872 (p. 2939), 

 adopted this view as " unquestionably the true explanation." The 

 suggestion had been long previously made by Edward Turner 

 Bennett in 'The Zoological Journal' for 1835 (vol. v. p. 496), 

 and within the last few weeks it has been once more revived 

 (p. 87, note), and approved (p. 132, note), in the first part of 

 Professor Newton's ' Dictionary of Birds,' recently published by 

 Messrs. Black. 



Unwilling as I am to differ in opinion from so excellent an 

 authority in matters ornithological, I am so entirely unable to 

 accept this explanation, that I am tempted to try and set down 

 a few reasons for my inability to agree with him. 



It will be remembered that the passage occurs in the ' Mid- 

 summer Night's Dream' (Act iii. sc. 2), wherein Shakespeare 



refers to — 



" Russet-pated Choughs many in sort, 

 Rising and cawing at the gun's report." 



My contention, in 'The Ornithology of Shakespeare' (pp. 118, 

 11 9), was, and still is, that the bird intended by the poet was not 

 the red-legged Chough, but the grey-headed Jackdaw. 



In support of this contention, it will be necessary for me 

 to prove (1) that the name cliough was not exclusively be- 

 stowed upon the bird with red bill and red legs, but was also 

 commonly applied to the Jackdaw; (2) that "pated" means 

 "headed," and cannot be read "patted" for "footed"; (3) that 

 " russet" is not red, though it may be "reddish," and is often 



