C O R V U S. 



MI 



The general characters are : the bill short, more 

 or less compressed or flattened on the sides, sharp 

 and trenchant in the cutting edges, slightly curved 

 towards the point, stout in its whole structure, and, 

 though not a tearing instrument, like the beaks of 

 birds of prey, generally very efficient both as a 

 thrusting and a cutting one ; the nostrils are at the 

 base of the bill, of an oval form, open, and defended 

 by bristly hairs or stiff feathers, which project a 

 little way forward over the base of the bill ; the feet 

 have four toes, three directed to the front, the middle 

 one shorter than the tarsus, the whole three divided 

 to their base*, and one toe behind. The tarsi and 

 toes are in general stout, and in some of the species 

 they are provided with powerful claws, which are 

 crooked, and serve for seizing and wounding their j 

 prey. The wings are in general long and pointed; 

 the second and third quills are, however, shorter than 

 the fourth one, so that the wings are not of that 

 form which is best adapted for turning readily in the 

 air, and preying on the wing in that element. 



Cuvier, following the general organisation, both 

 external and internal, was induced to include in the 

 crow family three races of birds, the crows properly 

 so called, the birds of paradise, and the rollers. 

 Some account of the second of these will be found 

 in the article BIRD OF PARADISE, and we shall give 

 some notice of the last in the article ROLLER ; so 

 that the present article will be restricted to the crows 

 properly so called, though strict systematists divide 

 them into several genera, more certainly than are 

 required for popular services, and probably more than 

 strict science would warrant. 



There is no question that Cuvier's union of the 

 three races which have been mentioned into one 

 group is warranted by the general organisation ; and 

 it is equally true, that those who form arrangements 

 upon external differences, without any regard whether 

 these differences go farther than the mere surface or 

 not, may make many subdivisions of a race so 

 numerous, so widely distributed, and subjected to so 

 many differences of food and climate as the crows 

 unquestionably are. But, if we are to view the pro- 

 ductions of nature in a popular sense, that is, in that 

 sense in which they are calculated, with the least 

 labour on our part, to throw light upon the natural 

 usefulness of each other, we must adopt something 

 like a middle course, so as neither to group too 

 largely, nor to subdivide too minutely. Now, when 

 we look at the three great divisions of which Cuvier 

 forms the group, we find that each of them has, as it 

 were, a different place in nature, is regulated by, or 

 under, the controul ot circumstances different from 

 those which regulate the others, although we cannot 

 always say distinctly what those circumstances are, 

 or how they operate. 



We find, however, that the birds of paradise are 

 confined to a very peculiar situation on the globe, 

 namely, the isles to the south-east of Asia, which have 

 their climate, their seasons, and the greater part of 

 their natural productions, peculiar to themselves, and 

 not to be met with in any other part of the world. 

 The rollers are not so confined or peculiar in their 

 geographical distribution, but still they are found 

 only in temperate latitudes, and in places which are 

 well wooded and rich. Neither of them is, therefore, 

 a race of birds which we can take along with us in 

 our general tour of the world, or rather, which we do 

 not need to take along with us, as in one or another 



of their species we find them in every clime \vhich we 

 can visit. They are in the extreme north, in the 

 middle latitudes, and also in the extreme south, and 

 they are thus generally distributed always in propor- 

 tion as they are more decidedly typical of the order. 

 It is possible for a European to go where he can claim 

 acquaintance with hardly one vegetable production, 

 with few mammalia, few birds, and few fishes, and 

 even where his own species seems, in appearance, in 

 language, and in manners, more strange to him than 

 any other inhabitant of the earth, even where the 

 greater part are comparatively new. But a crow, 

 and especially a raven, is instantly recognised as an 

 acquaintance wherever it is met with, so that its 

 appearance puts man in mind of his home, even 

 though it is at the Antipodes ; and, if there were no 

 other charm about the birds than this universal 

 memory which they afford, it would be sufficient to 

 recommend them to our grateful notice and our 

 careful study. 



Generally speaking, the genus Corvus are all sober, 

 and even sombre in their attire, but there are a few 

 exceptions ; and even in the most dull garbed ones 

 there is a beautiful compactness in the plumage. 

 Their feathers appear to be better tempered to the 

 elements than those of almost any birds, and thus 

 they are enabled to keep very constantly stirring and 

 beating about on the wing ; so that, though many of 

 them are remarkably social in their habits, firmly 

 attached to the same places, and returners to their 

 habitual dwellings every night, yet, taking them 

 altogether, they range more in search of their food 

 than almost any other birds ; and, as they are more 

 generally distributed over the globe than most birds, 

 so they are more spread over individual countries, 

 notwithstanding that there is a certain kind of 

 locality which each species appears to prefer to 

 every other. 



It is not a very easy matter to judge of the 

 relative degrees of what we call sagacity or wisdom 

 in birds, neither is it very easy to speak upon the 

 subject without some chance of falling into error, 

 because the inexperienced animal is just about as 

 wise as the experienced one, and thus their wisdom, 

 or whatever else we may call it, has a different 

 origin, and is of a different nature, from that which is 

 accounted wisdom in us. But still we cannot help 

 comparing the degrees of this animal's sagacity as 

 they display themselves in different animals ; and it 

 is not the less valuable to make these comparisons, 

 that we do not know the nature and origin of that 

 which we thus compare. The fact is, that this 

 comparison of one degree with another, without any 

 primary standard, is far more general than its op- 

 posite. When we say degrees of heat, of light, of 

 moisture, of growth, or even of magnitude, we do not 

 speak in terms of an absolute standard we merely 

 mention observed differences ; and if we do this in 

 the case of mere physical existence and its attributes, 

 we cannot reasonably hope to be better informed, 

 and more at home, when not merely life, but the 

 degree of sagacity connected with life, is the subject 

 of inquiry. Estimating them in this way, we may 

 say, with no small degree of confidence, that the 

 crow tribe are the most intelligent of birds ; and 

 when we consider that they are, in one or other of 

 their species, cast upon the world generally for their 

 means of support, instead of being confined to those 

 places where a peculiar food for them is produced, we 



