10 BRITISH BIRDS 
corm Linnseus]. More or less stationary in Ireland, Isle of 
Man, N. Scotland, rarely England. Winter visitor and bird 
whe of passage EH. and N. British counties, 
wd. Length 19 in. Distinguished 
from the carrion-crow only by its 
grey mantle and under-parts. Hybrids 
between this and the carrion - crow 
show every gradation between the color- 
ation of the parent species. 
Nest. As carrion-crow’s. 
Eggs. + carrion-crow’s, but often 
. reener. aying begins usually in 
Tacit ye One Endod. . 
4. Rook [Corvus frugilegus frugilegus Linnzeus]. Common 
resident throughout British Isles. s 
Bird. Length 19in. Black with bright violet and blue 
gloss. Distinguished from the carrion- BOE 
crow by the shape of the bill (Fig. 4) y Vin 
and by the conspicuous bare whitish skin Ber 
round its base. 
The statement 
that the two 
species can be dis- 
tinguished by the 
colour of the bases 
of the feathers is inexact; these are 
normally grey in both. The young, up 
to the second autumn moult, lack the 
bare face, the base of the bill being feathered. 
Nest. The species nests in colonies usually in 
tree-tops, occasionally on chimney stacks, church 
spires, in hedges, bushes. Outside: sticks, Fig. 4. 
earth. Inside: moss, leaves, grass, wool, &c. 
Eggs. Usually 3-5. Normally greenish with olive-brown 
- markings, Size, 1°6x1:06in. Laying 
begins in March-April. One brood. 
5. Jackdaw [Corvus monedula sper- 
mologus Vieillot |. See Rook. 
ae om , Bird. Length 14 in, Black with 
8 blue-green or purple gloss. Distin- 
‘ 4<> guished from the preceding species, 
with which it is often seen, by its 
smaller size, quicker wing-beats, blue- 
white iris, and the grey on its nape, 
neck, and ear-coverts. 
Nest. In any convenient hole, usually in buildings, rocks, or 
