220 THE BIRDS OF NORTHAMPTONSHIRE 



which we refer. The gamekeepers annually destroyed 

 this nest and the Crows, but a fresh pair of these 

 birds regularly built in the identical fork of the 

 fir above mentioned during the nine years of our 

 tenancy of the shooting of the district. It is a 

 curious fact that although the present species is a 

 winter visitor to England from the north of Europe, 

 in almost all parts of which it is abundant in the 

 summer, it is nevertheless the common Crow of 

 Sardinia, Cyprus, Palestine, and Egypt. In the two 

 former of these countries we found it breeding in 

 numbers in low trees, the nests and eggs very closely 

 resembling those of the Black Crow. 



The Grey Crow varies greatly in dimensions and 

 shade of colour, those which we have examined from 

 the south and east of Europe being smaller and 

 lighter-coloured than our own birds ; but large or 

 small, dark or light-coloured, the habits of the bird 

 are always abominable, and although, from the acci- 

 dent of its not nesting in our county, we are not 

 exposed to the detriment from this thief to which 

 those dwelling on the other side of the Tweed are 

 subject, we have no plea to urge in defence of the 

 Grey Crow, and hold him as a sturdy vagrant to be 

 summarily dealt with at all times and in all places. 

 We should be sorry to exterminate any bird ; but 

 this one could be better spared than any other with 

 which we are acquainted. 



