42 



KEARTONS' NATURE PICTURES 



HOODY CROW'S NEST. 



breeds in maritime cliffs, or in deep 

 heather on the ground ; but my friend, 

 Mr. Richard Ussher, who has given it 

 a great deal of attention in Ireland, says 

 that he has never found its nest in the 

 latter situation. The structure is made 

 of sticks, twigs, heather, dry seaweed, 

 rootlets, moss, hair, and wool. 



The eggs generally number five, of a 



greyish-green ground colour, spotted and 

 blotched with olive or greenish-brown 

 markings of varying shades. 



When the young ones first leave the 

 nest they sit about in trees, or upon 

 rocks, and frequently try over their far- 

 heard notes, as shown in our coloured 

 plate, and especially when they see 

 their parents flying high overhead. 



The Hoody Crow feeds upon beetles, 

 worms, birds' eggs, and young, all kinds 

 of carrion, and shell-fish ; in the opening 

 of the latter it shows great astute- 

 ness. As far back as the twelfth century 

 Giraldus Cambrensis mentioned that this 

 bird had a habit of taking shell-fish up 

 into the air and letting them drop on 

 rocks in order that they might be 

 broken. This interesting habit is still 

 practised all round our coast during 

 the winter, and I have noticed that if 

 the first fall does not accomplish the 

 bird's purpose it takes the shell-fish 

 higher and higher until the desired 

 end is accomplished. 



