HOODED CROW. 545 
the Scandinavian birds migrate to Holland, Belgium, and Northern France, 
and even to England, to winter; and many of the Siberian birds, together 
_ with hybrids of every degree, winter in Turkestan. his bird migrates 
by day. When I was in Heligoland, during the first week of October 
large flocks of Hooded Crows were frequently passing over, and sometimes 
a scattered and straggling stream continued all day long. Their flight 
was heavy and laborious, and frequently at no great height above the sea, 
many of them on landing having to rise to the edge of the cliff, where 
they stopped a short time and then passed on. 
Dixon made the following notes on this bird in Lincolnshire :—* In 
many parts of England the Hooded Crow is a well-known migratory bird, 
whose arrival in the autumn is looked for with almost as much interest as 
that of the Swallow and the Cuckoo in spring. One of the localities 
where Hooded Crows abound in autumn is on the low-lying coasts of 
Lincolnshire, from afew miles south of Skegness to the Boston Deeps. 
On this noble expanse of salt marsh, whose monotony is enlivened with 
hordes of wading birds, with Gulls and Ducks, the Hooded Crow is one of 
the commonest of birds from October till the following sprmg. They 
make their appearance about the middle of October—so regularly, in fact, 
that the fisherfolk and coastguardsmen, well versed in the bird-life of the 
district, will tell you that by no chance will the Swallow and the Crow 
be seen in the air together; the date of departure of the one bird is 
the signal for the approach of the other. They appear to migrate in the 
daytime; and I have seen them, in little parties, in pairs, or singly, arriving 
from the sea during the whole day. This migration goes on for weeks ; 
if the weather be favourable they are incessantly pouring in from the 
east. Upon these extensive marshes the Hooded Crow obtains the 
greater part of its food. It also flies inland for considerable distances, 
and is as frequently seen on the ploughed fields, the stubbles, and the 
pastures as the Rook. I must confess that, im spite of the dark tales of 
plunder and his questionable mode of getting a livelihood, the Hooded 
Crow is a favourite bird of mine, and his habits and regular movements 
never fail to interest me. The powerful’ flight of this bird may be 
witnessed to perfection here as he flies over the sea-banks from the flow- 
ing tide to the pastures. He is not by any means a shy bird, and by 
advancing in a side direction I have often succeeded in shooting him. 
Many authorities state that the Hooded Crow does not feed on grain ; 
but this is not the case. Here, especially in the neighbourhood of 
Friskney, the Hooded Crow during the time autumn sowing is going on 
lives almost exclusively on grain, seeking it just like the Rook. This I 
have ascertained beyond doubt by dissection. It will also feed on grass 
and slender shoots of herbage. Upon the marshes it is actively engaged 
in search of sand-worms, small crabs, and cockles. With the marsh-men 
VOL. I. aN 
