164 BRITISH BIRDS, WITH THEIR NESTS AND EGGS. 



said to be built upon the ground. J. B. Pilley of Hereford (Zoologist 1891, p. 352) 

 records the discovery of a nest containing five eggs on the top of a tall hedge, 

 in - some meadows near the city. The nest is somewhat flat and formed of dead 

 sticks, twigs, grass-tussocks and roots, with a lining of fur, wool, feathers or 

 other soft materials neatly smoothed down. The eggs number from four to six, 

 five being a frequent clutch, and are sometimes indistinguishable from those of 

 the Raven, but usually they are somewhat smaller ; the ground-colour is bluish- 

 green and the markings which vary considerably in density consist of spots, 

 longitudinal streaks and blotches of olive and olive-brown ; some of the markings 

 are frequently almost black and others almost grey. It is believed that this 

 Crow pairs for life. 



Of the eggs of this species figured on our plate figs. 233, 234 and 235 are 

 from Mr. Farn's collection and 236 from that of Mr. Frohawk ; my own 

 specimens were not varied or characteristic enough to be worth representing. 



The call is a hoarse croak, but some of the other cries of this species are 

 less objectionable. The food of this bird in summer consists of almost any kind 

 of animal too weak or sickly to defend itself, wounded sheep, helpless lambs, the 

 young of hares and rabbits, moles, young poultry, ducks, pheasants, partridges 

 and grouse ; but he does not confine himself entirely to this diet, he also feeds 

 on mollusca, which he extracts from the shells (as mentioned many years ago by 

 Messrs. Sheppard and Whitear) by carrying them up to a considerable height 

 and dropping them on to a stone ; stale fish cast up by the waves, and carrion 

 of all kinds are devoured greedily, as well as insects, their larvae, and grain. In 

 the winter he is more limited and has to content himself with grain, berries, and 

 such weakly half-starved birds or beasts as he can manage to kill. 



Mr. O. V. Aplin (Zoologist 1883, p. 409) published the following note on 

 the food of this species : " An old disused bridle-gate standing near one corner 

 of Clattercutt Reservoir has this season served as a feeding spot for a pair of 

 Carrion- Crows, which reared their young in a tall elm on one side of the pool. 

 One evening in June, after the grass was cut, I found strewn around it the 

 remains of several toads and frogs, and of one partly fledged nestling finch, also 

 a number of broken shells of the eggs of the Wild Duck and Partridge. The 

 state the gate was in showed that it was a much frequented perch, and a tell-tale 

 wing-feather would have named the robber even if he had not hurriedly left an 

 adjacent tree at my approach, and with loud croaks expressed his displeasure at 

 my intrusion on his banqueting hall. I have always tried to defend this fine 

 bird, and was sorry to find such ample proof of its destructive habits. Only a 

 few days ago (October 1883) I counted thirty- two Crows in a stubble-field close 



