HOODED CROW 



Corvus cornix 



Head, throat, wings, tail, beak, and legs black, with a 

 gloss of purple or green on most of the feathers ; remainder 

 of plumage grey, eyes dark-brown. Total length, 18 inches. 



A VERY common bird throughout Egypt. It seems 

 strange that this should be the only Crow — the pure 

 black one has never been noticed — and if any black 

 crow-like bird is noticed it will probably be found 

 to be the Raven. Shelley says, " It begins breed- 

 ing towards the end of February, when its nest 

 may be procured in every clump of sont trees," ^ but 

 I have seen young ones with their parents flying 

 about in early February, which would mean they 

 must have been hatched much earlier, and it would 

 therefore seem certain that they rear two broods 

 in the year. It does not seem here to have quite 

 the same character that it has elsewhere — it is less 

 aggressive, tamer, not such a highwayman-robber 

 sort of bird — and though it is so common I cannot 

 ever remember to have seen a flock of them 

 together in the real open country, they seem to 



^ The term " sont trees " in Egypt is applied to acacia trees. 

 89 12 



