14 LLOYDS NATURAL HISTORY. 



know of the latter that it breeds in Central Siberia, and winters 

 in North-western India, so that its migrating line is probably 

 north and south, whereas the migration of C. comix is east 

 and west. 



Habits. — The ways of the Hooded, or " Danish " Crow, as 

 it is often called by the marshmen, are best observed in 

 England on the east coast after the season of migration, when 

 the bird is plentiful in the marshes and on the shores. The 

 favourite food of the Hooded Crow seems then to consist of 

 cockles. When the bird finds a difficulty in opening one of 

 the latter, it flies up into the air and lets the mollusc fall 

 upon a rock or hard ground, so as to break the shell. In 

 Scotland and parts of the United Kingdom where this Crow is 

 resident, it enjoys, with the Carrion Crow, the hatred of every 

 gamekeeper for the damage it does to the eggs of game-birds, 

 which it devours wholesale, and we have ourselves seen the 

 ground under a Hooded Crow's nest strewn with the egg- 

 shells of Grouse. It is quite as destructive a bird as the 

 Carrion Crow, if not more so. 



Nest. — This is a solid structure, and is placed on a tree or 

 rock, being often built on cliffs. It is of the usual Corvine type, 

 being largely composed of twigs, and branches, coarse roots, 

 moss, and wool, with a few feathers. 



Eggs. — From three to six in number, green or greenish blue, 

 generally clouded with brown spots and mottlings and overlaid 

 with larger mottlings of greenish brown. Sometimes, even in 

 the same clutch, will occur eggs of a nearly uniform greenish 

 blue, with the markings nearly obsolete. Axis, 1*55—1*8 ; 

 diam., 1-25-1-15 inch. 



]i. THE CARRION CROW. CORONE CORONE. 



Corvus corone, Linn., S. N., i., p. 155(1766); Macg., Dr. B., i., 

 p. 516 (1837); Dresser, B. Eur., iv., p. 531, pi. 263, fig. 1 

 (1875)' Newt. ed. Yarr., ii., p. 274(1878); B. O. U. List 

 Br. I'... p. 69(1883); Seek, Hist. Br. B.,i.,p. 539(^83); 

 Saunders, Man., p. 233 (1889); Lilford, Col. Fig. Br. B., 

 pt x. (1889). 



Corone corone, Sharpe, Cat. B. Brit. Mus., hi., p. 36 (1877). 



