DEPARTURE FROM THE COAST. 103 



the beach, descend rapidly with closed pinions, 

 and devour the contents, which, but for the shock 

 or fracture occasioned by the fall, he would have 

 been unable to disengage from the shell. I have 

 since observed the hooded crow, near Brighton, 

 resort to a similar expedient. 



The latter birds make their appearance about 

 the beginning of October, haunting the upper 

 parts of the tide rivers at Shoreham and New- 

 haven, and the fields at some distance from the 

 coast, gradually becoming more gregarious and 

 more marine in their habits as winter approaches. 

 They assemble in considerable numbers every 

 night in a small plantation of fir trees, at Stanmer 

 Park, situated on an elevated portion of the de- 

 mesne. Those which haunt the shores in the 

 neighbourhood of Brighton seem to restrict them- 

 selves to this roosting-place ; at least I have not 

 been able to detect another within several miles 

 of that town. 



These hooded crows depart rather suddenly for 

 the north about the latter end of March. I have 

 frequently noticed as many as thirty on the beach 

 opposite Brunswick Terrace, and in a few days 

 afterwards perhaps not one was to be seen. The 

 carrion crows commence their return from the 

 coast to the interior at a somewhat earlier period, 

 and, as might be expected from their having 



