270 



JACK SNIPE. 



are five or six in number, bluish, spotted with black. These birds are 

 gregarious, and frequently flock tog ether with rooks ; feeding in the same 

 manner on grain and insects ; they are fond of cherries, and will devour 

 carrion in severe weather. It is seen to frequently perch on the back 

 of sheep, not only to rob that animal of its wool to line its nest, but also 

 to pick out the ticks with which it is infested. It is a very docile, 

 tractable, and mischievous bird, easily made tame, and may be taught 

 to talk. Some instances are mentioned of its breeding in rabbit-holes. 



* White says, from the information of a gentleman of Chichester, 

 that " in a warren joining to his outlet, many daws build every year in 

 the rabbit-burrows under ground. The way he and his brothers used 

 to take their nests, while they were boys, was by listening at the 

 mouths of the holes, and if they heard the young ones cry, they twisted 

 the nest out with a forked stick. I should never have suspected the 

 daws of building in holes on the flat ground. Another very unlikely 

 spot is made use of by daws as a place to breed in, and that is Stone- 

 henge. These birds deposit their nests in the interstices between the 

 upright and the impost stones of that amazing work of antiquity ; which 

 circumstance alone s*peaks the prodigious height of the upright stones, 

 that they should be tall enough to secure those nests from the annoy- 

 ance of shepherd-boys, who are always idling round that place." He 

 thinks the reason of their choosing these singular places, is the want of 

 towers and steeples in these districts. Sonnini thinks that Jackdaws, 

 (for what reason is not obvious,) prefer churches before any other place 

 to nest in. Thus the fine church of St. Nicholas, in Lourain, is at 

 all times covered with Jackdaws ; and they build in the churches of 

 Rouen and Mons, whilst they are never seen on the towers of Orleans, 

 of Tours, or of Angers, though built nearly on the same plan. 1 I ob- 

 served a considerable number about the beautiful spire of Harfleur, in 

 Normandy.* 



Several varieties of this species are given by different authors ; 

 some entirely black, without the grey on the head and neck ; others 

 quite white, or mixed black and white. It is found in Denmark, 

 France, and Germany ; also in Rusia and the western parts of Siberia : 

 but in most of these places it if found to be migratory. 



JACK NICKER.— A name for the Goldfinch. 



JACK SAW. — A name for the Goosander. 



JACK SNIPE (Scolopax gallinula, Linnaeus.) 



Scolopax gallinula, Gmel. Syst. 2. p. 662 — Lath. Ind. Orn. 2. p. 715. 8— Flem. 

 Br. Anim. p. 106. — 'L'emm. Man. d'Orn. 2. p. 678 Gallinago minima, Rail, 



1 Oiseaux, Art. Le Frenx. 



