10 



Nest. Over the greater part of its range the Carrion Crow is a tree-breeding 



bird, but Fatio describes it as nesting in fissures of rock and holes in old 

 walls in the Alps. On the other hand it certainly nests occasionally on 

 the ground in the sand dunes of Holland, and Albarda mentions a nest in 

 a ruinous chimney. The nest is well and strongly built of sticks and 

 twigs or heather stems, compacted with earth or turf and moss, and warmly 

 and neatly lined with wool, roots, rags or hair. Occasionally dead leaves 

 or feathers are found in the lining of the cup, which is rather deep and 

 about 8 inches across. Frequently the nest is placed high up among the 

 thinner boughs of some isolated deciduous tree and is then very conspicuous, 

 but where much persecuted, many nests are to to be found built close to the 

 main stem at the junction of one of the larger branches and often well 

 concealed with ivy. 

 Eggs. These are usually 4 — 5 in number, but 6 are sometimes found and 



occasionally birds are found incubating 3, 2 or even a single egg. One 

 hen (probably a very old bird) which only laid two eggs in 1898, hatched 

 off a single young one in the following year. In England the Crow is 

 single brooded (although Naumann says that they sometimes breed twice 

 in the year). When the first laying has been taken another is deposited 

 about a fortnight afterwards, and even a third if necessary, but usually with 

 fewer eggs. They are generally laid about 3 pra. and the period of 

 incubation is about 18 or 19 days. In colouring they resemble the eggs 

 of the other Corvi, but have as a rule a rather less decided green tint than 

 eggs of C. comix. It is not unusual to find one egg in a clutch much 

 more lightly marked than the rest, often with a blue ground; while entirely 

 blue eggs, without any markings, have been taken in Great Britain and on 

 the Continent. Some eggs on the other hand are very heavily marked 

 with bold blotches of olive brown, but never with black, as in the case 

 of C. corax. 

 Breeding In England eggs may be found from April 6 onwards: in the Mid- 



Season. lands April 17 — 27 is about the best time (about a fortnight later than 

 C. frugilegus). In Germany, according to Rey, full clutches may be found 

 from the beginning of April. Chapman found 5 eggs on March 23 in 

 the Sierra de las Cabras, which seems to indicate rather earlier breeding 

 in Spain. 

 Measure- Average of 100 typical eggs 43.5 X 30.1 mm. (Rey), Max. 49 X 32.5 



mm. (coll. Blagg), but an abnormally long egg measures 50.5 X 29 mm. 

 (coll. A. W. Johnson); Min. 38.2 X 26.3 mm. (Rey). Average weight 1.279 g. 

 A dwarf egg measures 30 X 25.5 mm. and weighs 720 mg. (Rey), and 

 R. H. Read has one 27.3 X 22.1 mm. 



ments. 



