270 
JACK SNIPE. 
are five or six in number, bluish, spotted with black. These birds are 
gregarious, and frequently flock together 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 speaks 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.^ 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, LiNNiEus.) 
Scolopax gallinula, Gmel. Syst. 2. p. 662. — Lath. Ind. Orn. 2. p. 715. 8..—~Flem. 
Br. Anim. p. 106— 7'emm. Man. d’Orn. 2. p. 678. — Gallinago minima, Raii, 
^ Oiseaux, Art. Le Frenx. 
