300 BIRDS OF INDIA. 



ploughed lands, or in pastures, along with cattle, and others may 

 be seen ridding cattle of the ticks or other insects that infest them ; 

 some betake themselves to the side of a river or tank ; a few, in 

 the vicinity of large rivers or creeks, follow vessels, and hunt with 

 the gulls and terns ; and not a few, about Calcutta and other large 

 cities, find a plentiful repast on the corpse of some dead Hindoo, 

 or on that of a dead bullock. A banian tree, a peepul, or other 

 tree with ripe fruit, will always be visited by many Crows ; and, 

 if a flight of winged termites takes place, morning or evening, 

 there are the Crows to be found in abundance, and adroitly catching 

 them in company with Bee-eaters, Kites, King-crows, and, mayhap, 

 Bats. In the hot weather the Crows take a long siesta, and evidently 

 feel the mid-day heat much, as they may be seen seated with open 

 beaks, gasping for a mouthful of cool air. When their daily 

 avocations are over, they retire, as they issued forth, in various sized 

 parties, picking up stragglers by the way from small hamlets or 

 single huts. 



The Crow breeds from April to July, according to the locality, 

 and, occasionally, two or three build in the same tree, though, in 

 general, there is not more than one. Now and then they select a 

 corner of a house or some convenient nook, but generally build in 

 trees, making a moderate fabric of sticks, occasionally thinly lined 

 with some softer materials. An instance is recorded by Mr. 

 Blyth, where a pair of Crows, in Calcutta, had built their nest of 

 the wires taken off from soda-water bottles, which must have been 

 purloined from some native slop-seller. The eggs are usually four 

 in number, and are greenish blue, spotted and blotched in various 

 degrees with brown. They are figured in Jardine's Contrib. to 

 Ornithology. As related under the head of the Coel, vol. I. 

 p. 343, this Crow's nest is almost exclusively selected by that 

 Cucko6, to deposit her eggs in. In defence of her young the 

 Crow is very bold, and I have been struck on the head by 

 one for carrying off a young bird that had fallen from the 

 nest. The young are fed by their parents for long after they quit 

 their nest. 



The flight of this Crow is easy and moderately quick, but, when 

 pursued by a Brahminy Kite or a Luggur, it is capable of con- 



