176 Thk Hoodkd Crow 



birds, nor indeed, in some cases, old ones either, being safe from its pr\-ing e\'es 

 and carnivorons propensities. There are, liowever, one or two instances on record 

 of its having remained to nest in this neighbourhood, but not of late j-ears." 



Mr. Stevenson also quotes the following from vSt. John's "Natural History 

 and Sport in Mora}'," p. 59 : — " It kills newlj'-boru lambs, picking out the eyes 

 and tongue while the poor creature is still alive. It preys on )-oung grouse, 

 partridges, hares, etc., and is vcr}' destructive to eggs of all sorts. In certain 

 feeding spots in the woods I have seen the remains of eggs of the most extra- 

 ordinary variety and number. No sooner does a wild duck, pheasant, or au}' bird 

 leave its nest, than the Hooded Crow is on the look-out, and I have no doubt 

 that a single pair often destroys many hundred eggs iu the course of a season. 

 All birds seem aware of this, and Peewits, Gulls, Redshanks, etc., attack most 

 furiously an\' Crow which they see hunting near their nests. The ' hoody ' is 

 also very fond of young ducks, and destro3-s great numbers. In the mountains 

 it is bold enough to make prize of the eggs of the eagle, peregrine falcon, or 

 osprc}', if the parent birds happen to be driven off their nests." 



In their "Notes from Redcar" ("Zoologist," 1893, p. 6), speaking of the immi- 

 gration of Hoodies from the 12th to the 30th of October, Messrs. T. H. Nelson, 

 and F. Pilling observe: — "The Hoodies are generally noticed in largest numbers 

 during thick weather in October and November." According to Seebohm this 

 species migrates b}' da\-, and Gatke says : — " In the autumn, and with favourable 

 weather, the migration commences at about eight o'clock in the morning, with 

 flocks of from fifty to one hundred individuals ; the movement soon passes into a 

 stream of flocks, consisting of from a hundred to at least five hundred examples, 

 and continues in this manner, without gaps of any kind, until two o'clock in the 

 afternoon. We can scarcel}^ in a case of this kind, assume that we are dealing 

 with a stream or route of migration which just chances to cross Heligoland, for 

 the movement proceeds in equal magnitude from east to west as far as the eye 

 can reach. More than this, on days when powerful migrations of this kind take 

 place, the migration-front or column has been seen from boats eight miles north 

 of the island to stretch farther to the north, as far as the limits of vision extend; 

 while on the south it reached, simultaneous!}' and in equal magnitude, up the 

 Weser, at least as far as Bremerhaven, as was determined from the steamer which 

 regularly plies between this island and the latter place. We thus get a migration 

 column of at least thirty-six geographical miles in breadth." 



Herr Gatke proceeds to make many other observations of considerable interest, 

 which it would be well worth our readers' while to peruse, but for which we 

 cannot find space here ; nevertheless, his concluding paragraphs are, we consider, 



