CORVIN^E. CORVUS. PICA. 107 



or dead fish. It is easily tamed, and may be taught to imi- 

 tate various sounds. The young are esteemed good eating, 

 and about the time of leaving the nest afford a barbarous 

 sport to urban as well as rustic shooters. They are fed chiefly 

 with grubs, worms, and seeds, which are conveyed in quantity 

 by their parents in a kind of sac at the base of the tongue. In 

 some rookeries both young and old fly off in June, while in 

 others they remain all the year. In the former case, they 

 generally return for some days in autumn, and again absent 

 themselves until spring. 



Corvus frugilegus, Linn. Syst. Nat. i. 156. Corvus frugile- 

 gus, Temm. Man. d'Ornith, i. 110. Corvus frugilegus, Rook, 

 MacGillivray, Brit. Birds, i. 535. 



52. CORVUS MONEDULA. GREY-NECKED CROW, OR JACKDAW. 



Bill rather shorter than the head, somewhat conical ; plu- 

 mage greyish-black, the hind neck light grey, the head ante- 

 riorly glossed with blue, the primary quills, alula, and tail 

 with green, the secondary quills with purple. The young 

 when fledged are of the same colours as the adult, the grey 

 of the neck a little less pure, and the feathers in general not 

 so glossy. 



Male, 141, 30, 10, lj, l T y, 1 T 2 ^, 7 V Female, 14, 28. 



More active and lively, with a clearer and shriller voice than 

 the other species. Generally dispersed, inhabiting deserted 

 buildings, steeples, towers, and high rocks, and breeding in 

 these places, or in rabbit burrows. The eggs, from four to 

 seven, an inch and five-twelfths long, an inch in breadth, 

 bluish-white, with small, round, separated spots of dark 

 brown and pale purplish. Although vigilant and suspicious, it 

 often resides in towns, and picks up part of* its food from the 

 streets. It feeds on larvae, worms, insects, seeds, and other 

 matters. Like the other species, it is easily tamed, may be 

 taught to speak, and has a propensity to carry away and con- 

 ceal glittering articles. 



Daw. Kae. 



Corvus Monedula, Linn. Syst. Nat. i. 156. Corvus Mone- 

 dula, Temm. Man. d'Ornith. i. 111. Corvus Monedula, Jack- 

 daw, MacGillivray, Brit. Birds, i. 552. 



GENUS XXIX. PICA. MAGPIE. 



Bill about the length of the head, stout, straight, taper- 

 ing, compressed toward the end ; upper mandible with the 



