THE ROOK—THE CROW. 271

tunity. Captain Brown quoting from a Scotch newspaper tells
of a crow which made an attempt to carry off one of a
brood of fourteen chickens, but which on being disturbed,
dropped its prey and made its escape, returning some time
after with thirteen other crows and carrying off the whole
brood.

The Jackdaw. The Jackdaw, measures about fourteen inches,
and is thus the smallest of the birds of its kind. It builds
in old ruins, church towers, and rocky eminences, in which
particular it differs from the rooks and the crows, who select
the topmost branches of trees for this purpose. Like its near
relatives with whom we have been dealing, it is thievish and
secretive in its habits, showing a preference, in its appropriations,
‘for bright objects such as silver spoons and gold rings. These
habits and their terrible consequences have been immortalized
by the history and fate of the “Jackdaw of Rheims.”

The Chough. The Chough frequents the western sea coasts
of England, the north, south, and west of Ireland and the
Isle of Man, and the borders of the snow line or Alpine
ranges on the continent of Europe. It nests in the cavities
of high cliffs and attains a length of seventeen inches; its
beak and legs are of a brilliant red. When tamed it shows
the same qualities of curiosity and secretiveness which char-
acterise the other birds of its kind.

The The Bird of Paradise is one of the most beautiful
Bird of of living birds. Mr. Wallace thus describes the
Paradise. Pyradisea apoda which is the largest species

known: “The body, wings, and tail are of a rich coffee
brown, which deepens on the breast to a blackish-violet or
purple brown. The whole top of the head and neck is of
an exceedingly delicate straw-yellow, the feathers being short
and close set, so as to resemble plush or velvet; the lower
part of the throat up to the eye is clothed with scaly
feathers of an emerald green colour, and with a rich metallic
gloss, and velvety plumes of a still deeper green, extend in