■i Briiisli Birds. 



nesting-habits or the colour of the eggs of much assistance. It maj- indeed be said 



that the classification of the Passerifonnes has not yet been thoroughly mastered, 



and considerable modifications in our present systems may be expected. 



There appears to be a concensus of opinion in the present day 



THE CROWS. |.j^^j the Crows ought to form the leading Family of the Perching 



""" -* Birds. As lontr ago as 1877 I commenced the 'Catalogue' of 



CORVID.E. " " '' . , , ^ ., ^ . , 



the Passerijormcs in the British Museum with the ramily Lorvidcc, 



nor have 1 seen any reason to deviate from this arrangement, while the high 

 position of the Crows and their perfect structure had already been insisted upon 

 by such masters in anatomy as Macgillivray and VV. K. Parker. 



The Crows are more remarkable for strength than beauty, for the majority of 

 them are black, relieved only by a purplish or green gloss on the plumage, and even 

 this adornment is perceptible only at close quarters. Our Raven and Carrion- 

 Crow are typical examples of this sombre famil}', but the Hooded Crow is ;i 

 handsomer bird, with drab-coloured mantle and breast. The Magpies and Jays 

 redeem the family Corcidcc from the stigma of dingy colouring, and even some of 

 the Ravens have their black dress relieved by a white collar, as is seen in the thick- 

 billed Ravens (Corvultnr\ of Africa. 



This is the most gregarious of all the Crows we have in Great 



THE ROOK. Britain, and usually builds in colonies, known as ' Rookeries.' The 

 {Tryba)wcoyax , . ,, , ..,,,., ^ . . , , 



' nest IS substantially and even artistically built of twigs, with a large 



fnigtUgus.) 



deep cup in the centre, lined witli roots and moss. It is generally 



placed at a considerable height from the ground, and is a comfortable dwelling enough 



for the young. So firmly built is the nest that it withstands a great deal of rough 



weather, and is not often dislodged by a gale, although the young birds are sometimes 



blown out. When the latter are full grown, they differ from the parent birds in being 



more dingy, as they have not the beautiful gloss on the plumage which makes the 



old Rook quite a beautiful bird, when looked at closely. Young Rooks too have the 



base of the bill and the fore part of the cheeks feathered, so that they much resemble 



Carrion Crows, but may be distinguished from the latter by their longer and more 



slender bill, and by the bases of the body feathers being grey, not white. The eggs 



are like those of typical Crows, being from three to five in number, spotted and 



blotched with greenish brown on a bluish green ground. From the number of grubs 



and wire-worms which the Rooks consume, they must be considered as most useful 



birds to the farmer, though tliey arc desperate hands at harrying a walnut tree in 



the autumn, and they likewise devour a considerable number of birds' eggs in the 



spring, particularly those of the Sky-lark when it builds in exposed country. Even 



in the Zoological Gardens strict watch has to be kept on the nests of the birds in the 



open paddocks, as the Rooks soon find out the nests of Cranes, Bustards, Geese 



and Swans, and carry off the eggs. 



In an article recently published in the Contemporary A'fi/i;,', Mr. Phil. 



