212 THE USEFUL BIRDS 



The call of this species is the well-known " boo-book " or 

 " more-pork," wTongly ascribed to the Frogmouth. 



^est. — Hollow of a tree, with decayed wood for the eggs to 

 rest upon. 



Eggs. — Three to a sitting ; white and finely pitted. Length, 

 1.5 inches ; breadth, 1,3 inches. 



CROW, 



C'orviis coroiioides, Vig. and Hors. 



Kdr'viis kor-u-noi'des. 

 Corvu-s, a raven ; korone, a raven ; cndos, form. 

 CoRVUS AUSTRALis, Gould, "Birds of Australia," fol., vol. iv., pi. 18. 

 Geographical Distribution. — Areas 1 to 8 inclusive. 



Key to the Species. — Plumage uniform blue-black ; neck and body 

 feathers snow-white at the bases; first iDviniary is long, equal to or 

 exceeding the innermost secondaries ; hallux very strong. 



It is generally admitted that Crows and Ravens possess 

 the highest standard of reasoning power among birds, and I 

 think none who have any acquaintance with tjieir ways will 

 be inchned to disagree with this dictum. 



We have two Crows and a Raven in Austraha. The first- 

 named is very much in evidence, wuth results so good that 

 many people who have carefully watched their habits say 

 they are of definite value to us. The side for the prosecution, 

 however, is very scathing in its criticisms of the Crow's value. 

 Dr. N. A. Cobb {Agricultural Gazette of -New South Wales, 

 1896, pp. 565-578), by a careful comparison, concludes that 

 the food of the Australian Crow is on a par with that of 

 the American one. To test the value of the common Crow 

 in the States, the Government at Washington arranged to 



