122 OUR RARER BIRDS 



In England the Hooded Crow is well known in many 

 districts as a regular winter migrant, arriving^ in October and 

 leaving in March. Most of these birds are from Scandinavia ; 

 they cross the North Sea by way of Heligoland, and arrive 

 on our low-lying eastern coasts about the time the Woodcock 

 puts in an appearance. In England the Hooded Crow is best 

 known as a coast-bird, although a few stray to inland districts, 

 generally following the course of large rivers. On the noble 

 expanses of salt-marsh that gird the Wash on the coast of 

 Lincolnshire the Hooded Crow is particularly numerous, and 

 its habits may be studied there with ease. Its migration to 

 this country is an intensely interesting sight to the lover of 

 birds. For weeks in the autumn hundreds of thousands of 

 Hooded Crows may be seen flying slowly from across the 

 sea in one loncj strago-ling stream, now in twos and threes, or 

 in little parties, and occasionally in great rushes. This bird 

 migrates exclusively by day, and of the vast numbers that 

 pour in from the north and east many remain on these extensive 

 salt-marshes for the winter, and many more follow the coast 

 still farther south. During its winter sojourn here it very 

 closely resembles the Eook in its habits. It frequents the 

 broad Lincolnshire fields close by the sea, where dykes take 

 the place of hedgerows, and where the autumn-sown grain is 

 eagerly fed upon. They are very gregarious and sociable 

 now, and settle in large flocks upon the fields and in the 

 pastures, feeding w^ith Eooks and Starlings. Occasionally 

 they are seen on turnip fields and stubbles, in company with 

 Wood Pigeons and Stock Doves. But their great feeding- 

 ground is on the interminable wastes of salt-marsh and mud, 

 where they often congregate in thousands on the spots where 

 food chances to be plentiful. Upon these marshes it searches 

 principally for sand worms, small crabs, and cockles. The 

 latter shellfish it digs for in the sand, and then carries up in 

 the air for a considerable height to drop down and break 



