DEPARTURE FROM THE COAST. 103 



and devour the contents, which, but for the shock 

 or fracture occasioned by the fall, he would have 

 been unable to disengage from the shell. I have 

 since observed the hooded crow, near Brighton, 

 resort to a similar expedient. 



The latter birds make their appearance about 

 the beginning of October, haunting the upper 

 parts of the tide rivers at Shoreham and New- 

 haven, and the fields at some distance from the 

 coast, gradually becoming more gregarious and 

 more marine in their habits as winter approaches. 

 They congregate in considerable numbers every 

 night in a small plantation of fir trees, at Stanmer 

 Park, situated on an elevated portion of the de- 

 mesne called " High Park Corner." Those which 

 haunt the shores in the neighbourhood of Brighton 

 seem to restrict themselves to this roosting-place ; 

 at least I have not been able to detect another 

 within several miles of that town. 



These hooded crows depart rather suddenly for 

 the north about the latter end of March. I have 

 frequently noticed as many as thirty assembled 

 on the beach opposite Brunswick Terrace, and in 

 a few days afterwards perhaps not a bird was to be 

 seen. The carrion crows commence their return 

 from the coast to the interior at a somewhat 

 earlier period, and, as might be expected from 

 their having sojourned in pairs during the winter, 



