ROOK. 135 



The inhabitants of Greenland eat the flesh of Ravens, 

 make clothes of their skins, and form the split quills of 

 their wings into fishing-lines. 



The Raven chiefly differs from the crow, in being of 

 much larger size. Its plumage is of a beautiful black 

 colour, glossed on the back with a bluish tinge. 



Common, or Carrion Crow. The principal food of 

 these birds seems to consist of dead carcases ; but they 

 will also subsist upon grain and fruit, and they some- 

 times kill and devour small birds and quadrupeds. We 

 are informed by the late Dr. Darwin, that a friend of his 

 saw, on the sea-coast of Ireland, above a hundred Crows 

 preying at the same time upon muscles. Each Crow took 

 up a muscle into the air, twenty or forty yards high, and 

 let it fall on the stones ; and thus, by breaking the shell, 

 got possession of the animal. It is related, that a certain 

 ancient philosopher, walking along the sea-shore to gather 

 shells, one of these unlucky birds, probably mistaking his 

 bald head for a stone, dropped a shell-fish upon it, and 

 killed at once a philosopher and an oyster. They some- 

 times collect into flocks ; but during the spring of the 

 year they separate into pairs, for the purpose of forming 

 their nests, and producing and rearing their offspring. 

 Their nests are usually constructed of sticks, dried grass, 

 and bits of wool ; and the females lay from four to six 

 eggs, which are of a bluish-green colour, somewhat spotted 

 with brown. 



Rook. Associating generally in large flocks, these 

 birds are favourites in many parts of our country; 

 building their nests in trees immediately surrounding old 

 family mansions, and sometimes forming, in such situ- 

 ations, a most populous community. They usually fly 



