HOODED OR GREY CROW. 23 



searches for worms, insects and grain. When feeding mutual 

 aid may be practised. I watched a pair striving to obtain a 

 half-picked bream, the remnant of a Heron's meal ; they sidled 

 round on opposite sides, and when the phlegmatic bird turned 

 its head to watch the antics of one robber, the other hopped in 

 and secured the prize. After this they swooped at and worried 

 a number of Black-headed Gulls, but were mobbed and driven 

 off by a party of Lapwings with which they took liberties. 

 There is a humorous practical joking element in the psychology 

 of the Carrion. Although so shy and cautious the Crow, when 

 free from persecution, becomes indifferent to the presence of 

 man ; it is a common London bird, roosting sociably in the 

 parks in winter. 



On the cliffs the Crow nests on ledges, but in inland localities 

 is arboreal ; the nest is similar to that of the Raven, but less 

 bulky. The eggs, four or five in number, are seldom laid before 

 April ; they are blotched and spotted with brown on a blue 

 or green ground and vary considerably (Plate 12). 



The plumage is black with a green or purple sheen, but the 

 gloss is much greener than that of the Rook. The bill, legs 

 and feet are also black ; the irides dark brown. The sexes do 

 not vary, but the female is the smaller bird ; the young are 

 duller. Length, about 20 ins. Wing, 13 ins. Tarsus, 2*5 ins. 



Hooded or Grey Crow. Corvtis comix Linn. 



The Hooded Crow or Hoodie (Plate 4), also called the 

 Grey, Royston or Norway Crow, is so similar in structure and 

 habits to the Carrion that some authorities insist that they are 

 merely geographical races of one species. Where their ranges 

 overlap, as in northern Britain, Germany and Siberia, they 

 interbreed and hybrids are fertile, yet the persistence of the 

 striking plumage differences detracts from the theory. The 

 Grey Crow breeds regularly in Scotland, Ireland, the Isle of 



