138 BRITISH BIRDS. 



anybody, I put the old duck and her young ones in a pond, 

 nearly three hundred 3-ards from a high fir-tree, in which 

 a carrion crow had built its nest : it contained five young 

 ones, almost fledged. I took my station on the bridge, 

 about one hundred yards from the tree. Nine times 

 the parent crows flew to the pond, and brought back a 

 duckling each time to their young. I saved a tenth 

 victim by timely interference. When a young brood is 

 attacked by an enemy, the old duck does nothing to 

 defend it. In lieu of putting herself betwixt it and 

 danger, as the dunghill fowl would do, she opens her 

 mouth, and starts obliquely through the water, beating 

 it with her wrings. During these useless movements, 

 the invader secures his prey with impunity." 



Mr, Waterton charges the crow's occasional plunder 

 of a partridge egg on the game-keeper, who, in his ram- 

 bles to find the nests of these birds, makes a track which 

 will often be followed up by the cat, the fox, and the 

 weasel ; and still more, by driving the bird hastily from 

 its nest, causing its eggs to be left uncovered. No 

 wonder, then, that as the crow is in quest of food, it 

 should pounce on the prey thus exposed, and carry off 

 an egg on the point of its bill. But, in this case, is 

 the bird to blame ? It follows its instinct. We, how- 



