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CORVIDAE. 
THE CHOUGH. 
Cornish Chough. Red-legged Jackdaw * or Crow. 
Fregilus gmculus, Linn, (sp.) 
Corvus ,, ,, 
Inhabits precipitous rocks in various parts of Ireland. 
It is noticed in Harris's Down (1744), and Smith's Cork (1749), 
as one of the birds of those counties, and in the latter is said to 
be “ very common, frequenting rocks, old castles, and ruins upon 
the sea-coast." The species is more generally diffused around 
the rock-bound shores of Ireland, than British authors would lead 
us to believe it is on those of Scotland and England-. It may be 
met with in such localities in the north, east, south, and west of 
the island. 
The basaltic precipices of the north-east are admirably adapted 
to choughs, and about the promontory of Eairhead these birds 
particularly abound. On one occasion, when visiting this place and 
the head-lands in the immediate vicinity of the Giant's Causeway, 
on the same day (8th of June), during the breeding-season of 
these birds, I remarked choughs only about the former locality, 
and jackdaws only about the latter, both species being numerous 
in their respective quarters : the choughs, too, were wonderfully 
tame in this instance, permitting our approach within twenty-five 
paces.f About Horn-Head, in the north-west of the county of 
* Red-legged jackdaw of the north of Ireland ; clitf-daw of Kerry. Smith states 
in his History of Cork, that the Irish name for this bird implies a Spanish jackdaw. 
f In Dr. J. D. Marshall’s memoir, on the statistics and natural history of the basaltic 
island of Rathlin (lying off the north of the county of Antrim), it is remarked of the 
chough : — “ This is called by the islanders, the jackdaw , and is by far the most 
numerous species on the island. In the month of July, I found them everywhere 
associated in large flocks, at one place frequenting inland situations, and at another 
congregated on the sea-shore. They had just collected together their different families, 
now fully fledged, and were picking up their food (which consisted chiefly of insects), 
either on the shore, in the crevices of rocks, or in the pasture fields. Mr. Selby men- 
tions that the chough will not alight on the turf, if it can possibly avoid it, always 
preferring gravel, stones, or walls. In Rathlin, its choice of situation seems to be 
but sparingly exhibited, as I found it frequenting the corn and pasture fields, in even 
greater numbers than along the shores. * * * They breed on the lofty cliffs 
overhanging the sea ; the eggs are of a whitish colour, speckled at the larger end 
