CABBION CBOW 167 



he usually builds in or on a large tree, and if the nest is allowed to 

 remain he will use it for several years. The nest is a large plat- 

 form, made of sticks, weeds, pieces of turf, and other materials, 

 with a hollow in the centre neatly lined with fine grass, wool, hairs, 

 and feathers. The eggs are four to six in number, in ground- 

 colour pale bluish green, spotted and blotched with various shades 

 of olive-brown, with purplish grey underlying blotches. 



When there are young to feed the crow is exceedingly active ; 

 he is then most destructive to young pheasants and other game, 

 and is a troublesome neighbour to the poultry. Young and weakly 

 birds are dropped upon and picked up with astonishing adroitness 

 and rapidity. He will pounce upon and carry ofif any small and 

 easily conquered animal to satisfy his nestful of voracious young. 

 At other times he is omnivorous: a carrion-eater like the raven, 

 and devourer of dead stranded fish and other animal refuse cast up 

 by the sea ; in the pastures he searches for worms and grubs with 

 the rooks ; and when occasion offers he feeds on graia, berries, wal- 

 nuts, and fruit. He appears to have a greater appetite than most 

 species : he is said to be the first bird astir in the morning, and 

 from dawn until sunset he is engaged incessantly in seeking food. 



His flight resembles that of the rook, but is somewhat heavier. 



Hooded Crow. 

 Corvus comix. 



Head, throat, wings, and tail black; the rest of the plumage 

 ash-grey ; iris brown. Length, nineteen and a half inches. 



This bird, which is also known as the hoodie, Royston crow, 

 grey or grey-backed crow, and by other names, is now regarded by 

 some of our first authorities on such subjects as a form of the carrion 

 crow. In England and Wales it is very rare. In Ireland, where 

 the black crow is almost unknown, it is common ; it is also 

 found throughout Scotland and the Western Islands as a resident 

 breeding species. In winter, hooded crows visit the east coast of 

 England in large numbers, and are specially abundant on the Lin- 

 colnshire coast, where they feed on shellfish and animal refuse left 

 by the tide on the extensive mud flats. These seaside crows that 

 wait on the tide come to us from the north of Europe, and leave 

 our shores in spring. 



