Nests and Eggs of Familiar British Birds, Second Series: Described and Illustrated; with an Account of the Haunts and Habits of the Feathered Architects, and their Times and Modes of Building — John Shaqi
Nests and Eggs of Familiar British Birds, Second Series: Described and Illustrated; with an Account of the Haunts and Habits of the Feathered Architects, and their Times and Modes of BuildingAdams, H. G. (Henry Gardiner)
Science
Nests and Eggs of Familiar British Birds, Second Series: Described and Illustrated; with an Account of the Haunts and Habits of the Feathered Architects, and their Times and Modes of Building
Adams, H. G. (Henry Gardiner)
Birds -- Eggs; Birds -- Great Britain; Birds -- Nests
The Starling is gregarious and insectivorous, that is, it goes in
flocks and feeds on insects; chiefly on insects, we should say, but not
altogether, for it likes also worms, snails, grain, fruit, and seeds of
various kinds, so that it may be almost called omnivorous, eating all
things. A bold lively bird, something like the Magpie in its habits,
given to picking and stealing when it can get a chance; it is,
nevertheless, a general favourite, on account of its beauty and
teachability, if we may use such a word. It has naturally a low musical
note, which is uttered by both male and female, although least by the
latter, and may be taught to articulate many words, so that it is often
kept in confinement, where, like the poor bird in Sterne's "Sentimental
Journey," we may fancy we hear it exclaiming in piteous tones, "I can't
get out!"
CHOUGH.
CORNISH CHOUGH. RED-LEGGED, MARKET-JEW, OR HERMIT-CROW. RED-LEGGED
JACKDAW. GESNER'S WOOD-CROW. CORNISH, CHAUK, OR CLIFF-DAW. CORNWALL
KAE, OR KILLEGREW.
FIGURE 3.
Plenty of names here for one bird. Oh, stay, here's another--Long-billed
Chough; not to count the scientific names, the most common of which is
_Corvus graculus_, that is a Chough Crow, or a Crow Chough, whichever
may be preferred. Some naturalists use a longer specific name, and say
_Pyrrhocorax_, which comes from the Greek _pyrrhos_, red, and _Corax_,
a Crow. A fine handsome fellow is this, with his sable plumes, over
which shimmers a steely blue reflection; his bright eye, and long red
bill, and legs of the same colour; the very handsomest of the Crow
family, and with us the rarest, although, from all that we can read and
learn, it was formerly by no means uncommon, especially in Cornwall, as
its name imports. It now occasionally occurs in small flocks in various
parts of Great Britain, generally near the coast, where it builds amid
the cliffs a rude nest of sticks lined with wool and hair; the eggs are
generally five in number, of a dull white colour, spotted with grey and
light brown, most thickly at the larger end. Sometimes the nest is
found in old church or other towers, especially such as are in a
ruinous condition.
The Chough feeds chiefly on grasshoppers, beetles, and other insects,
in search of which, says Mr. Morris, it will follow the plough like the
Rooks; it will also eat the smaller kinds of crustacea, or shell-fish,
and grain and berries. Now and then it indulges, like the Common Crow,
in a feast of carrion. It has a shrill note something like that of the
Jackdaw; it also chatters, and steals, and talks, as well as a
Starling, in short is a most accomplished feathered performer. One of
its favourite haunts is, or used to be, Shakspere's cliff at Dover, and
our great poet describing that grand and sublime scene, alludes to the
bird.--
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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