LITTORAL LAND BIRDS. 267 



peculiarities of the site determining the size of 

 the structure to a great extent. The four or five 

 eggs sometimes half-a-dozen are pale blue, 

 spotted and blotched with olive-brown of different 

 shades, and gray. The Jackdaw has the general 

 colour of the plumage black, shading into gray on 

 the nape and sides of the neck. 



HOODED CROW. 



This species, the Corvus comix of Linnaeus and 

 ornithologists generally, is only known as a winter 

 visitor to certain parts of England, but is a common 

 resident in Scotland and Ireland. From October 

 to March the Hooded, Gray, or Royston Crow, is a 

 very familiar object on the low-lying coasts of East 

 Anglia. Its migrations to this district from the 

 Continent are extremely interesting. All day long 

 the birds may be seen coming in from over the 

 sea in flocks and parties, crossing from continental 

 Europe along a due west course. Sometimes great 

 flights of this Crow pour across the North Sea 

 columns of migrating birds estimated to be forty 

 or more miles in breadth, and travelling at the 

 enormous speed of more than a hundred miles 

 per hour ! All the winter through Hooded Crows 

 frequent the salt-marshes or the grain fields close to 

 the sea. The food of the Hooded Crow is not 

 known to differ from that of allied species, the bird 

 being practically omnivorous. There are few in- 

 stances known of this Crow breeding in England, but 



