The Nest of " Oorvus Corone." 79 



white-tailed, sheep, already known to fame. Last summer, 

 in the haymaking time, provoked by the loss of some 

 chicks and ducklings, supposed to have been carried off 

 by these crows, I was cruel enough to use my gun, and 

 fired at one of them. Luckily I did not kill, but only 

 wounded it in the leg. For many weeks after I saw this 

 same bird limping about over my lawn ; and, at the time, 

 a cripple myself, I could not help thinking it appeared 

 there as a reproach to me, saying, " Just see what you 

 have done ! Look at me, and then at yourself ! " I was 

 glad to find that its leg was not broken, and to see it 

 recover, till at length it walked, and still walks, as well as 

 any of the family. But the incident taught me a lesson 

 of humanity, and never again shall my gun be discharged 

 at Carrion or other crow. 



THE NEST OF "CORVUS CORONE." 



The nest of a Carrion Crow has been brought me for 

 examination ; a nest which the owners had abandoned. 

 Likely enough, its egg treasures had been taken out by 

 some scansorial plunderer, as the eggs of this bird, being 

 rather pretty and of large size, are a desideratum in 

 collections. As many people suppose that the nest of 

 the Crow is similar to that of the magpie, it may be worth 

 while giving a detailed description of it, since, in many 

 essential points, it differs from the latter. What may be 

 termed the outer wall of a magpie's nest is composed of 

 dead sticks, these nearly always branches of the haw- 

 thorn and blackthorn; some of them are thick as a finger, 



