520 CORVUS CORONE. 



peds, young hares and rabbits, young birds, eggs, Crustacea, 

 mollusca, worms, grubs, and grain. Its principal food how- 

 ever is carrion of all kinds ; and it not unfrequently destroys 

 young lambs and sickly sheep. Montagu states that he has 

 seen it pursue a pigeon, and strike one dead from the top of 

 a barn. As a proof of its being occasionally granivorous 

 like the raven, I may mention that I found the stomach of one 

 that had been trapped in Linlithgowshire in November 1834, 

 filled wdth oat seeds. 



The Crow is in general a solitary bird, or rather keeps in 

 pairs, although, when there is an abundant supply of food, 

 several individuals may occasionally be seen together. Its 

 flight is similar to that of the raven, being generally sedate and 

 direct, performed by regularly-timed flaps, the wings stretched 

 out to their full extent, so that the outer primaries are sepa- 

 rated for nearly half their length. Its mode of walking is also 

 similar, and its cry is a croak, clearer and less sonorous than 

 that of the Raven. At a distance it is not easily distinguishable 

 from the Rook ; but one who attends to small differences of 

 form and habits may readily distinguish the two species. 

 The Rook is less compact, and the feathers of its abdominal 

 region project more, while its mode of walking is quicker, and 

 it keeps its bill more inclined towards the ground. At hand, 

 the species are very easily distinguished, the Rook having a 

 bill of a different form, and the feathers at its base being 

 abraded. Although it is said by several ornithologists to 

 breed with the Carrion Crow, and has even been considered 

 by some to be of the same species, I have never seen it con- 

 sorting with that bird, even casually. 



It nestles in rocks and tall trees, beginning as early as Fe- 

 bruary to construct or repair its nest, which is bulky, composed 

 of twigs, and lined w^th moss, straws, wool, hair, and other 

 soft materials. The eggs are from four to six, of a rather 

 elongated ovate form, pale bluish-green, spotted and blotched 

 with dark umber or clove-brown and purplish-grey. Some- 

 times the eggs are nearly destitute of spots, and occasionally 

 they are closely freckled all over with light brown. Their 

 length varies from lj\ to lj\, their greatest transverse diame- 



