THE CROW. 541 



fines of Walton Hall. As lias already been mentioned, the birds 

 will occasionally rest for a while in those pleasant woods, though 

 they ultimately take wing for the accustomed roosting -place. 

 There is plenty of space for them ; they have their choice of trees 

 on which to settle, and the lofty wall which surrounds them in- 

 sures their freedom from all disturbance. 



Very similar in general aspect to the rook, the Crow (Corvus 

 corone) builds a nest which resembles that of the rook in outward 

 form, but is easily distinguished by an experienced eye. The 

 lining of the nest is made of animal instead of vegetable sub- 

 stances, hair and wool taking the place of fibrous roots. 



Viewed from the foot of the tree, the nest of the Crow is noth- 

 ing but a large and nearly shapeless bundle of sticks, but when 

 the enterprising naturalist has climbed to the summit of the tree 

 in which it is placed, and can look into the nest, he is always 

 gratified by the peculiarly neat and smooth workmanship of 

 the aerial home. The outside of the nest is rough and rugged 

 enough, but the inner nest, which is made of rabbit's-fur, wool, 

 and hair, is woven into a basin-like form, beautifully smooth, soft, 

 and elastic. On this bed repose the eggs, which are somewhat 

 like those of the rook, but darker and greener, and more thickly 

 spotted, though they are extremely variable in size and color, 

 and sometimes resemble so closely those of the rook that the dis- 

 tinction can hardly be detected. 



The Crow always builds at the tops of trees, and has a wonder- 

 ful knack of choosing those which are most difficult of ascent. 

 The nests are plentiful enough, but the proportion of eggs taken 

 is very small in comparison. There are some nests which baffle 

 almost any one to rob successfully. An experienced nest-hunter 

 is always endowed with a strong head, and ought to be perfectlv 

 at his ease on the summit of the loftiest trees, even though he 

 should be obliged to crawl in fly-fashion under a branch, to hang 

 by one hand while he takes the eggs with the other, or to sus- 

 pend himself by his legs in order to get at a nest below him. 

 That a nest should escape a properly qualified hunter is simply 

 impossible, but to secure the eggs is quite another matter. 



In many cases the nest of the Crow is placed on branches so 

 long and so slender that they will not endure the weight of a 

 small boy, much less of a man, and the only method of getting 

 at it is by bending down the branches. But, when the branches 



