THE GREY CROW 99 



of dealing out sentence to certain Crows who have been 

 guilty of some offence, for after an hour or so of delibera- 

 tion the whole assembly turn fiercely on certain indi- 

 viduals and peck them to death. 



Throughout the whole of Northern Europe the Grey 

 Crow is an abundant species, and extends his range to 

 beyond the Arctic Circle. In Russia in spring I found him 

 to be perhaps the most common bird in the region border- 

 ing the Baltic. Here he is unmolested; and is constantly 

 about the unkept villages, foraging for food along the 

 uncleanly streets piled high with rotting straw. He cares 

 little for the passers-by, and it is possible to admire his 

 glossy black head and the contrasting pale grey of his 

 breast and back. In Russia it was my experience that 

 the Hoodie consorted with Jackdaws, and sometimes with 

 Magpies. 



Description. — The Grey Crow varies considerably in 

 its plumage. The mantle and under parts are of grey, but 

 the rest of the plumage is of a rich glossy black. The 

 female is rather smaller than the male and duller in colour. 

 The young do not develop the purple gloss till after their 

 first autumn moult. The length of the Grey Crow is 

 about nineteen inches. 



Hybrids between the Grey Crow and the Carrion Crow 

 {Corvus cor one) show every gradation between the two 

 species. 



