CORVID.E. 225 



the Raven, but it is naturally smaller ; the ground 

 colour is greenish, spotted with ash-colour and 

 brown. 



HOODED CROW, Corvus Comix. The Hooded 

 Crow, or as it is perhaps more commonly called, the 

 " Eoyston Crow," is a rare occasional winter visitor 

 in this county. I have seen one or two in the flesh 

 at Mrs. Turle's that had been killed in the county, 

 and Mr. Bidgood has one in his collection which 

 was also killed in the county. In most of the mid- 

 land and eastern counties this bird is much more 

 common: I have often seen considerable flocks of 

 them between Cambridge and Royston, from which 

 latter place it takes one of its names. In Scotland 

 and some of the northern counties they remain to 

 breed, and have been known to do so as far south as 

 Norfolk. 



The food of the Hooded Crow seems to be very 

 varied : one of the writers in the ' Zoologist ' says it 

 includes everything from sprats to sheep. Accord- 

 ing to Yarrell, lambs, eggs and poultry form part of 

 the food, and when on the coast, fish, sand-worms, 

 crabs and other shell-fish may be added to the list ; 

 corn and other vegetable productions are only 

 resorted to in case of necessity. The same author 

 adds that a pair of these birds have been seen to 

 chase, knock down and devour a small Sandpiper. 



The nest of the Hooded Crow is placed either in 

 trees or in rocks, according to the nature of the 



