CORVUS 421 



601. BLACK CROW. 

 CORVUS CORONE 



Corvus corone, Linn. Syst. Nat. i. p. 155 (1766) ; Nainn. ii. p. 54, Taf. 53, 

 fig. 2 ; Hewitson, i. p. 222, pi. Iviii. fig. 1 ; Gould, B. of E. ili- 

 pi. 221 ; id. B. of Gt. Brit. iii. pi. 58 ; Newton, ii. p. 274 ; Dresser, 

 iv. p. 531, pi. 262, tig. 2, 263, fig. 1 ; (Sharpe), Cat. B. Br. Mus. iii. 

 p. 36 ; Tacz. F. 0. Sib. 0. p. 533 ; Gates, F. Brit. Ind. Birds, i. 

 p. 16 ; Saunders, p. 243 ; Lilford, ii. p. 46, pi. 20. 



Corneille noire, French ; Gralha, Portug. ; Corneja negra, Span. ; 

 Cornecchia nera, Ital. ; Schwarzc Krdhc, Germ. ; Kraai, Dutch ; 

 Sort Kr age, Dan.; Chernaya Vorona, Russ. ; ffashiboso-garasn,Jap. 



<$ ad. (Scotland). Jet black, on the upper parts chiefly glossed with 

 purple, the wings and tail with greenish purple ; tail slightly rounded ; 

 bill and legs black; iris brown. Ctilmen 2'3, wing 12'8, tail 7*10, 

 tarsus 2" 30 inch. Sexes alike. 



Hob. Europe, from Great Britain and Denmark to the 

 Mediterranean, but chiefly in the west, becoming rarer east of 

 the Elbe ; of rare occurrence in Sweden ; Asia, sparingly to 

 the Yenesei, east of which it (G. orientalis, Eversm.) is the 

 prevalent form ; north to Kamchatka, south to Mongolia, North 

 China, and Japan (C. japonensis, Bp.), where it is common. 

 south-west to eastern Turkestan and Kashmir. 



In habits it is cautious and wary, and except where there is 

 a carcass or where food is plentiful it is usually seen in pairs or 

 alone. Its flight is direct and performed by regular flaps of its 

 fully extended wings, and its note is a tolerably loud, clear, 

 croak. It is an omnivorous feeder, but flesh or fish forms its 

 staple food ; carrion, fish that has been cast up on the shore 

 shell-fish, young birds, eggs, new born or weakly lambs all come 

 equally welcome, and when driven by hunger it is said even to 

 eat berries. Its nest, which is placed on a tree or rock, is bulky, 

 constructed of sticks and twigs worked together with mould, 

 and well lined with moss, hair, wool, and feathers ; the eggs, 4 to 

 6 in number, 'are usually deposited in April or early in May, and 

 are pale bluish green, sometimes tinged with olive, spotted and 

 blotched with purplish grey shell-markings and lighter or darker 

 brown surface-blotches ; in size measuring about 1'72 by 1*09. 



602. GREY CROW. 

 CORVUS CORNIX. 



Corvus comix, Linn. Syst. Nat. i. p. 156 (1766) ; Nauru, ii. p. 65, Taf. 54 ; 

 Hewitson, i. p. 224, pi. Iviii. fig. 2 ; Gould, iii. pi. 22 ; id. B. of Gt. 

 Brit. iii. pi. 59 ; Newton, ii. p. 275 ; Dresser, iv. p. 543, pi. 263 



