31 MAY 1930, Page 21

JACKDAWS

[To the Editor of the SPECTATOR.] SIR,—During the Easter vacation I was interested to find some jackdaws' nests.; in what were—according to my know- ledge of their nesting habits—strange places.

In the demesne of the Duke of Newcastle, Castleblayney, , . , Co. Monaghan, on one of the secluded islands in the lake (the

White Island,- about four acres in area), there is a rookery in the trees around the shore, while the central part of the island which is flat and grassy, and in summer makes good sheep pasture, is dotted over with rabbit burrows. In and out of

the burrows jackdaws hopped, and nests in several holes were quite visible from above—one contained five eggs. I shall be interested to know if this is a common habit in other parts 'of the British Islands. I have made several inquiries, but have been unable to hear of any parallel in Northern Ireland.—I am,