HOODED CROW. 175 



of the Natural History Society of Glasgow a hooded crow from 

 Ardlamont, which is now in the collection of Mr John Gilmour 

 of Glasgow, was exhibited by that gentleman. It had the light 

 space on the back and underparts very much clouded, giving the 

 bird the appearance of a variety of the carrion crow; the pure 

 black lanceolate feathers on the breast were also much more 

 pointed, and in breaking the line of union with the grey parts of 

 the plumage, added much to the handsome appearance of the bird. 

 Other specimens which I have seen shot in the neighbourhood of 

 Loch Lomond had the colours blended to the same extent; but 

 while I record these instances, I may also state that in most cases 

 that have come under my observation the offspring of a hooded 

 and a carrion crow, when mated, do not show any signs of 

 hybridity such as one would expect. Capercailzies and black 

 grouse, for example, produce hybrids which are easily distin- 

 guished; while the latter, when paired with the red grouse, has 

 an offspring equally recognisable. The young birds in both cases 

 invariably take after the male parent; but in the case of the 

 crows, the progeny consists of black and grey specimens precisely 

 like both parents.* Sometimes it happens that out of a nest of 

 six, four are black and two grey; in other cases they are all grey 

 but one; in others equally divided. There is no rule as to the 

 sexes, the grey bird being as often the male as the female. In a 

 glen near the banks of Loch Lomond a female hooded crow had 

 her nest, and had commenced laying. Her first mate was a 

 carrion crow, and after the keeper shot him the hen bird went 

 away and returned with a second bird, also black. He, too, was 

 killed a day or two afterwards, but the dauntless widow got 

 another black mate within a few hours, and thus allured a third 

 crow to his doom, for it is needless to say that the watchful 

 keeper was only too glad of the opportunityi of shooting the 

 rascal. At length the sitting bird having laid the full complement 

 of eggs, remained at home and brought up her young ones till 

 they could be conveniently killed, after which she herself fell a 

 victim. The keeper, in telling me this episode of crow life, said 

 he was almost sorry when on picking her up he found she had only 



* Macgillivray, who must have taken his descriptions of the young from a 

 nest of mules, and probably been deceived by observing only the female near at 

 hand, says they are nearly all black, 



