FRAGMENTS. 391 



THE hooded or Koyston crow of England must either 

 be different in its habits from that of Scotland, or natural- 

 ists of the south are much mistaken in their observations on 

 this bird, Bewick and others make a marked difference 

 between the Koyston and carrion crows, saying that the 

 " former arrive with the woodcock, and take their depar- 

 ture in spring to breed." Now, in Scotland, there appear 

 to me nearly as many hooded as carrion crows all summer, 

 and loth are called by the common people " Hoody Craws." 

 Nests are constantly found with one of both kinds ; and I 

 have noticed that the male is generally hooded, and the 

 female black. The young also are mixed. Bewick says 

 that, in more northern parts, the Eoyston crow remains 

 the whole year, subsisting on sea-worms, shell-fish, &c. 

 Now I have remarked that the black crow is nearly as 

 often to be met with on the sea-shore as the Eoyston, and 

 is equally fond of shell-fish. Those hooded crows on the 

 sea-shore are much lighter in the colour, and more apt to 

 live in pairs than the inland ones, which I don't recollect 

 ever seeing build together. I have, however, often found 

 nests where both male and female were black. The food 

 of Inland Eoyston and black carrion crows is alike ; their 

 habits are the same ; they are also found always in com- 

 pany when the young leave the nest. A gamekeeper, of 

 some experience in trapping vermin, informs me that two 

 Eoystons and two black may be hatched in the same 

 nest ; also, that sometimes the male is hooded, and some- 

 times the female. 



