OMNIVOROUS BIRDS. 177 



Of the others, the carrion crow most resembles 

 the raven ; but its bill is neither so formidable as an 

 instrument of slaughter, nor so capable of tearing the 



flesh of recent prey. The culmen of the upper man- 

 dible is not so much arched, nor the tip so much 

 hooked, and consequently the bill can neither cut so 

 well nor hold so firmly. This bird accordingly eats 

 large animals, chiefly in the state of carrion ; and 

 finds much of his food in the eggs and callow young 

 of the ground gallinidse. 



The other crows, on to the rook, have the bill more 

 and more approximating to straightness ; and in that 

 bird we have certainly an approximation to the 

 ground birds which feed upon seeds ; and different 

 as they are in their appearance, and many of their 

 habits, there is a correspondence in nature between 

 the rook and the skylark, which brings them to the 

 same field for their food. 



The bill of the raven and crow, is continued 

 through the magpies, the rollers, and several other 

 birds, which differ more and more in the other parts 

 of their structure and in their habits, till we come to 

 those races which are more and more tree birds, and 

 when they become chiefly so, have a considerable 

 part of their charactar in the feel. 



