Part 11

Except that it commits depredations in the cherry orchards as the fruit ripens, nothing but good can be said of the Starling. Tame, confiding, no mean songster, and an excellent mimic, he is very welcome wherever found. In autumn he congregates in vast flocks, whose numbers reach many thousands, and there must be few people who have not noticed these flocks go through their aerial evolutions, now drawing close together in a compact mass, or spreading out in wedge-shaped formation, rising and falling as though imbued with one mind. These flocks are to a large extent migratory, and in the evening will often collect to roost on reed-beds, which are laid flat with their weight. To enter such a spot quietly just after dusk and then make a noise, will afford one a sensation never to be forgotten, as they rise with a sound like rolling thunder, caused by the clattering of thousands of wings against the reeds, while others farther off, disturbed in turn, will also rise, until the whole flock is on the wing, circling round our head with a subdued roar which increases and diminishes as they approach or retreat. In a few minutes, however, if we remain quiet, they will soon begin to return, making no sound except the rattling together of the reeds as they settle, and in a few minutes all is quiet once more. At daybreak the flock divides into smaller parties which set out to forage in the neighbouring country. In the afternoon, as their hunger is appeased, the scattered flocks begin to collect again, and it is then that we may observe the evolutions referred to above, till finally at dusk they are all roosting once more in the reed-bed. After staying in the locality for some time, their numbers being increased by fresh arrivals daily, they will one night fail to return to their accustomed quarters, but will instead start on a long journey on which we are unable to follow them. Apart, however, from these large flocks, smaller bodies will be found throughout the winter, wandering over the country and even penetrating the parks and gardens of our large cities. In March and April a migration of small flocks returning to their accustomed breeding haunts takes place, but the immense flocks of the autumn are never seen, and we can but suspect that Nature has in some way or other taken heavy toll of them.

Any hole in a tree or wall, the roof of a house, drain-pipes, church towers, or cliffs suit this species for a nesting-site. An untidy mass of straw, grass, and rubbish is collected to form a nest, and a few feathers, or wool, are added as lining. Five eggs of a uniform pale blue form the clutch, and two broods are reared in the season. The young when fledged begin at once to join with those from other nests and thus form the nucleus of the immense flocks which are, perhaps, one of the main characteristics of this species.

It feeds chiefly on insects, worms, and slugs, which are sought for in damp meadows and pasture-lands. It walks in a curious deliberate way, and on seeing a likely worm casting, it pushes in its closed beak, and after drawing it back with open mandibles, the hole, thus enlarged, is examined for the grub it may contain. It is also very partial to sheep runs, settling on the sheep's backs and relieving them of many and various ticks and parasites.

The sexes are practically alike and in winter the whole of the plumage is glossy black, with metallic reflections, the feathers of the upper parts being tipped with buff and those of the under parts with white. In summer it loses almost all the spots on the under parts and a large proportion of those on the back. The bill is lemon yellow in summer and blackish in winter. The young are greyish brown all over, rather lighter on the chin and under parts. In very old birds the feathers round the base of the bill wear off, leaving a bare patch as in the Rook. Length 8·5 in.; wing 5·2 in.

THE ROSE-COLOURED PASTOR Pastor roseus (Linnæus)

Eastern Europe and Asia is the true breeding home of this species, which wanders about in immense numbers, breeding gregariously wherever it happens to find itself at that season. Stragglers from these flocks often join with other migrating hosts of birds, and thus this species occurs as an irregular wanderer over the rest of Europe. The farther west, however, the rarer it becomes, and its occurrences in our islands, though noted from most districts, are not very frequent. It is about the size of the common Starling but has a longish black crest. Except for the back, shoulders, breast, and belly, which are rose pink, it is of a uniform metallic black. Length 8·5 in.; wing 5 in.

THE CHOUGH Pyrrhocorax graculus (Linnæus)

This bird is one of the handsomest and at the same time our rarest member of the Crow family. With its glossy black plumage and brilliant red legs and beak it forms a beautiful sight to the ornithologist as he watches it flying over the wild and wind-swept headland that juts out into the Atlantic.

Its flight is extremely graceful and peculiar; a few beats of its wings, then it glides onward with outstretched pinions, the ends of the outer primaries being well separated from each other; its wings close, it drops towards the ground, and then with a few more beats it recovers its former level and continues its flight. This species, which is only found on rocky coasts, is yearly becoming scarcer, but its chief enemy, if we except the ubiquitous egg-collector, is one of its own family, the Jackdaw. As this latter species extends its breeding quarters, so the Chough has to give way before it, being turned out of its nesting-holes till, weary of ineffectual attempts, it leaves the locality. In other places that king of Falcons, the Peregrine, will attack it, resulting in its very rapid extermination. This, however, is apparently an acquired taste on the part of certain Peregrines only, as we have known both species to nest on the same cliff without apparently interfering with each other in the least.

Any hole or fissure in the rock, or the ledge of some cliff, will provide this bird with a nesting-site, and a substantial cup-shaped structure of roots and twigs is built, and lined with wool, rabbit fleck, and hair. Three to five eggs are laid; they are pale greyish white in colour, spotted and streaked with grey or pale brown. Both parents attend to the wants of their young, feeding them on larvæ grubs and beetles. This species is almost entirely an insect-feeder and far less omnivorous than most of his kind, the long curved beak being especially useful for poking the soft earth or overturning the stones in its search for food. The note, which is very frequently uttered, is not unlike that of the Jackdaw but rather more metallic.

The adult is of a deep, glossy blue black all over. Bill and legs cherry red. The sexes are alike and the young only differ in having the bill and legs dull orange. Length 16 in.; wing 10·7 in.

This species is now only to be found in the wilder and more remote parts of the west of Scotland, Ireland, and Wales. A few solitary pairs may still be found in some parts of England, but they are rapidly disappearing.

THE NUTCRACKER Nucifraga caryocatactes (Linnæus)

A few stragglers of this species have occasionally visited our east and south-east coasts in autumn, and at least two examples have been recorded from Scotland, but it has not so far visited Ireland. Fir forests in Scandinavia and Central Europe form the home of this bird, where it is resident and breeds early in the year while the snow is still on the ground. In appearance it is quite unlike any of our other species of Crow, being pale umber brown profusely spotted, except on the crown, with triangular white markings. Length 12 in.; wing 7·5 in.

THE JAY Garrulus glandarius (Linnæus)

Considering the ruthless war waged on this unfortunate species by every gamekeeper throughout the country, it is little short of marvellous that we can still hear his harsh scream in most of our woods.

He is very wary and cautious, and spends most of his time, except when actually feeding, on the tops of the trees, flying off with many protestations to another part of the wood on the least sign of danger. His great supposed sin is the destruction of the Pheasants' eggs, though we doubt whether his depredations are sufficiently great to warrant his wholesale slaughter. The fox has been saved from extermination in the interests of hunting, and it is now conceded that, after all, his presence does not so greatly affect the interests of those whose sport lies with the gun rather than with the horse, and if only keepers could be taught to leave the Jay alone the loss of a few head of game, that would hardly be missed, would surely be more than compensated for by the sight of this beautiful species as he dodges through the wood in front of the beaters. No better watch-dog could be found, and many a trespasser will quit a wood owing to the tell-tale warning given by the Jay. Noisy and active as he is during the winter, he becomes in spring exceptionally quiet, and only when the nest is approached does he give any indication of his presence in the neighbourhood. The nest is generally placed some ten feet from the ground in the fork of a tender sapling and is made entirely of twigs and lined with fine roots. It is open and cup-shaped, and the eggs, small for the size of the bird, are pale green in ground colour very thickly mottled with olive brown with, generally a narrow black irregular line at the larger end. The young are chiefly fed on insects, spiders, and grubs, but this species is practically omnivorous and nothing comes amiss, large numbers of berries being eaten in winter. In this country he is strictly resident, rarely wandering far from the woods which formed his summer home, but in the northern parts of his range on the Continent he migrates, sometimes in considerable flocks, some of which visit our shores in autumn, and although these Continental birds are said to be distinguishable from our own native race, we suspect that it is largely owing to these immigrations that we can still number the Jay as one of our common indigenous birds.

The general colour of the nape, mantle, and under parts is vinous brown. Crown of the head whitish streaked with black; malar stripe black. Chin, rump, and under tail coverts white; tail and primaries black, the latter with white outer margins. Secondaries black, the outermost five with white bases. Wing coverts barred white, black, and blue. Length 14·25 in.; wing 7·2 in. The sexes and young are all alike in plumage.

This species is generally distributed, except in the north of Scotland and Ireland, where it becomes scarce.

It is perhaps worthy of note that in the Jays and Crows which build open nests, the nestlings have dark-coloured mouths with no marked light edging, whereas in the Jackdaw, that breeds in holes, the sides of the mouth are enlarged and whitish in colour and show up conspicuously in the semi-darkness of their home.

THE MAGPIE Pica rustica (Scopoli)

This is another species against whom every man's hand in this country is raised. Being much less a bird of the woods and preferring to make its home in high trees growing in hedgerows, or even in tall hedges, it has unfortunately suffered much more than the Jay and is now very local in its distribution. Bold and omnivorous, it finds little difficulty in procuring a livelihood, and if it settles in the neighbourhood of a poultry or game farm it must be conceded that it will do considerable damage. On the other hand, it will also destroy countless worms, slugs, mice, and even young rats, so that it is by no means wholly mischievous, and in other countries where it is unmolested it becomes very tame and confiding, nesting in farm-yards or even in the towns, and those countries seem but little the worse for its presence. A fine showy bird, it is a pleasure to see him as he flies with rapid beats of his short wings across some field, rattling out his cheery chatter as he goes. What a perky chap he looks as he struts about on the fallow, or, having had his attention drawn by a strange object some yards off, approaches it with a few long hops and then with characteristic caution stops to examine it from a distance. Satisfied that it is harmless, he stalks to it with slow majestic walk, his head held high in the air and slightly inclined to one side; then suddenly he sees us--a harsh chatter and off he goes to the nearest cover. The nest is a huge domed structure substantially built of twigs, those with sharp spikes or thorns being used for preference. Inside, a deep cup is made of mud, and inside this again is placed a thick lining of grass. The eggs are six in number and of a bluish colour irregularly dotted, mottled, or splashed with olive brown. It is a strictly resident bird, rarely wandering far from its accustomed haunts and frequently going about in pairs.

The whole bird is glossy black with bluish and green reflections, except for the scapulars and belly, which are white. The rump is greyish. Length, including tail, 18 in.; tail 10 in.; wing 7·75 in. The sexes and young are all much alike in plumage.

THE JACKDAW Corvus monedula, Linnæus

Abundant and gregarious in most parts of the country, this species may in winter be found associating with flocks of Rooks in the open pastures and arable land. It is a noisy bird and the call-note "che-ak" will generally warn us of its presence. It is found in all kinds of situations and localities, being equally at home in the wild open country, along the coast, rocky or alluvial, or on arable land, in well-timbered districts, and even in the middle of our busy cities; but from certain apparently suitable districts it is absent, and although abundant in some towns, in others it is hardly ever found. Along the coast where it does not occur, the Chough still holds its own, but as we noticed under that species the presence of the Jackdaw soon drives away the more delicate bird.

Practically omnivorous, he experiences no difficulty in procuring a living wherever he may be, but will usually be found associated with Rooks or Starlings on the pastures, often perching on the backs of sheep to rid them of the parasites with which they are infested. Holes in trees, walls, or ruins, church towers, chimneys, or cavities in rocks, provide suitable nesting-sites. A rough nest is built of sticks, lined with an abundance of fur, rabbit fleck, wool and any other soft material.

The six eggs are pale blue in colour, with large distinct spots of olive brown.

Although this species is to be found among us at all times of the year, considerable migration both to and from these islands goes on in winter, large flocks sometimes arriving on our eastern coasts.

The sexes are practically indistinguishable, and are of a glossy purplish black on the head and back, and of a somewhat duller greyish black below. The occipital region, nape, and sides of the neck are clear grey, forming a sort of collar. The young birds are duller and lack the grey collar, which is only partially assumed in the first year. Length 13 in.; wing 9·25 in.

THE RAVEN Corvus corax, Linnæus

There are few birds that can compare with the Raven in the majestic curves and sweeps of its flight as it skirts the wild and rugged headland which forms its home, so that in spite of its occasional depredations on young and sickly lambs, it is unworthy of the persecution to which it is subjected. Scattered pairs are still to be met with round the rocky shores of England, while in the wilder parts of Scotland and Ireland it is still comparatively common. It chooses for its home some wild precipitous crag exposed to the fury of the south-westerly gales, and there it may be found at all times of year, ruling with uncontested sway some couple of miles of coast, where it feeds on any carrion or prey that can be found.

Early in the spring the old nest--a mass of sticks, driftwood, seaweed, and heather, warmly lined with wool and rabbit fleck--will be repaired, and at this season the male is magnificent to watch as he courts his mate in beautiful aerial flight. Early in March the eggs, three to five in number, are laid; they are bluish, densely speckled and blotched with olive brown. The female takes sole charge of the duties of incubation, while her mate, sitting near, keeps close watch and attacks with great boldness and fury any other feathered marauder.

Too often, however, their labours are in vain and man steps in and destroys the nest; but ever faithful to the old home, many pairs continue ineffectually to breed year after year near the same spot, till at last in their old age they succumb to some winter's storm and the spot is the poorer by the loss of one of our noblest birds.

After the young are fledged they remain with their parents for some months, till they are eventually driven out to make way for the new brood of the following year.

The adult is of a deep, glossy, blue black. The female and young only differ from the male in having less lustre on their plumage. Length 25 in.; wing 17 in.

THE CARRION CROW Corvus corone, Linnæus

With every man's hand against it, the Carrion Crow, which as a scavenger might well be one of our most useful birds, leads a harassed existence. Singly or in pairs it wanders about the country, feeding on anything that comes in its way. Carrion is its chief delight, but in default of that it turns its attention to weak and sickly birds, mice, rats, etc., and, as is the case with other members of the Crow family, it does quite as much good by destroying vermin as it does harm by destroying eggs and young birds.

The nest is generally placed on the top of some high tree or on the ledge of a cliff. It is made of sticks with an inner foundation of mud and warmly lined with wool, bents, rabbit fleck, and hair. The eggs, three to five in number, are very variable in markings, but except in size resemble those of the Raven. For a short time after the young are fledged they wander about in family parties, but they soon separate, and after August more than a pair are seldom seen together, a fact which will help to distinguish it at a distance from the Rook, who is nearly always gregarious. In general appearance this bird is very like the Rook, but it may be distinguished by the following characters. The bill is much stouter and broader and not so long and slender; its colour is black with a greenish gloss and not of a purplish blue, and the feathers have white bases, while those of the Rook are grey; the bristles and feathers at the base of the bill are never worn away as is always the case with Rooks after their second moult. Length 19·5 in.; wing 13 in. In this country it is generally distributed where not too strongly persecuted, becoming commoner in Scotland; but in Ireland it is very rare.

THE HOODED CROW Corvus cornix, Linnæus

The question as to whether this bird, which interbreeds freely with the Carrion Crow where their ranges overlap, is or is not a good species need not trouble us here. Suffice it to say that in England it occurs numerously as a regular winter immigrant, large numbers crossing the North Sea and arriving on our eastern coasts. Over the rest of our islands its distribution is somewhat capricious. In Wales and the western counties it is rare, whereas in Ireland and Scotland it is well distributed and resident.

In habits it resembles the Carrion Crow but is more found on the sea-shore and estuaries than that species, though it is also found in the wooded districts. The back, shoulder, breast, and under parts are ashy grey, the rest of the body being black as in the Carrion Crow, of which in size and all other respects it is the exact counterpart.

THE ROOK Corvus frugilegus, Linnæus

There is no more delightful sound in early spring than the "caw" of the Rooks at their "rookeries," as their breeding places are called. Year after year they return regularly to the same clump of trees, on the tops of which they build a fairly substantial nest of sticks, with an inner foundation of mud which is in turn warmly lined with roots, straw, and fine grass. The sites chosen for their homes are more frequently than not near human habitations or on clumps of trees near a highway, and exceptionally, they may choose pollards or low bushes, but as a rule the nests are never less than twenty feet from the ground. The eggs are bluish, with olive brown spots and blotches resembling those of the Carrion Crow, but smaller and more variable.

The young leave the nest just before they can fly, and may then be seen sitting on the topmost branches of the trees as they sway in the wind. This is the time when they are shot for rook-pies, and also under the impression that if they are not thinned out the colony will be deserted. For this belief we are not aware that any proof exists, but curiously enough colonies left to themselves tend to diminish. These birds are rather capricious and will occasionally, even in the nesting season, desert the colony; the presence in the neighbourhood of a pair of Carrion Crows is sometimes the cause, but more often than not the reason is not apparent. As soon as the young can fly, towards the middle or end of May, the rookery is deserted: old and young keep together and wander about the fields and arable land, digging deeply with their powerful bills in search of larvæ and grubs, and destroying countless numbers of wire worms, that renowned pest to agriculture. In this country it does not migrate to any extent; certain plantations are used as regular roosting-places, and as evening draws on in the winter months, long strings of these birds may be seen slowly flying in their heavy characteristic manner to their nightly shelter. Although the flight appears heavy and laboured, they in reality travel at no mean pace, and in their daily search for food often cover great distances. As in the case of Jackdaws and Jays, there is a large immigration yearly on our east coast during October and November, for in Scandinavia and the northern portions of its breeding range it is a regular migrant. Throughout the whole of our islands it is a common bird, but is rather more local in Scotland, and it is only of recent years that it has regularly bred in the extreme north. From continual digging in the ground the feather follicles round the base of the bill become destroyed, leaving a whitish patch of bare skin which is an unfailing characteristic of the adult birds. In young individuals, however, the feathers extend to the base of the bill and do not appear to be permanently lost till during the second autumn moult. The sexes are alike; their colour is a uniform deep and glossy purplish blue. The young resemble their parents, but lack the gloss to their feathers. Length 19 in.; wing 12·65 in.

THE SKYLARK Alauda arvensis, Linnæus

Of all other birds the Lark is perhaps the one which typifies most thoroughly the freedom of life, and brings to our minds scenes of wide open country, where, bright, free, and unrestrained, he pours forth his song in the boundless expanse of the air.