observed in Sivitzerland. 175 



{Lams ridibundus) for the bread thrown to them, and is 

 almost as tame and impudent as its Indian relative, 

 C. splendens. In autumn it displays great adroitness in 

 dropping walnuts from a height on the flat copings of the 

 walls of the vineyards, in order to break the shell, and the 

 mark is rarely missed. On November 7th I saw a Crow 

 stoop down to the lake and distinctly ruffle the surface with 

 his wings and body, to capture a small dead fish, which he 

 was made to drop by the Gulls. Round the lakes it makes 

 its nest early in April — as with us — in large open trees ; but 

 in the Jura the spruce-firs affbrd it better concealment. A 

 score of birds may often be seen together. 



CoRvus coRNix, Linn. 



I only observed the Hooded Crow once, on February 27th, 

 along with a number of the common species, on the fields 

 between Morges and Lausanne. I heard of one near Vevey 

 in November. 



CoRVUS FRUGILEGUS, LiuU. 



The Rook is a migrant : I counted a band of eleven below 

 Lausanne on February 27th, and saw another flock further off: 

 There was, however, a solitary individual which frequented 

 the gardens of our hotel at Lausanne during the winter, 

 stalking up and down on the terrace within a few yards of 

 the windows : a genuine, old, well-wattled Rook. This bird 

 was on the best terms with a Crow, and the two held the 

 garden against all intruders ; uniting to attack, with great 

 vehemence and outcry, a male Sparrow-Hawk which used to 

 sweep over the hedges of evergreens with tolerable regularity 

 between noon and one o^clock. When scrag-ends of meat or 

 bone were tied to the ends of branches so slender that in 

 trying to reach them these birds must necessarily topple over, 

 they would make dashes on the wing at the food, which was 

 purposely tied with weak thread, and noisy was the jubilation 

 when the spoil was carried off". In December 1890 a small 

 flock passed over Vevey, and in the first days of January 1891 

 we found that here also a solitary Rook had taken up his 

 abode among the pollarded planes on the terrace ; but after 

 a week of intense cold he was seen no more. 



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