62 THE HOODED-CROW 



To England and Wales the Hooded, often called the 

 Grey or Royston Crow, is a regular and in many districts 

 far too numerous a visitor, from October on during the 

 winter. A few birds have remained to breed, and some 

 cases of hybridism with the Carrion Crow occur in the 

 North. In Ireland it has become a perfect scourge. In 

 the Isle of Man it is said to nest each year. On the 

 Scottish Mainland again they are far too many of this 

 species. So greedy is he that Howard Saunders tells of 

 having seen him eagerly devouring the carcase of a 

 recently shot member of the same brood as himself. To 

 some extent hybrids with the Carrion Crow are said to 

 be fertile. 



A Son of the Marshes says that the Cob the Great 

 Black-backed Gull, which is called the Carrion Gull, is 

 a noble and open minded bird compared with the Dun 

 Crow the Hooded Crow of the foreshores. "His general 

 conduct would lead you to think he was only looking 

 about for amusement, up and down and over the water, 

 just far enough to see if any prey, such as a dead fish 

 or fowl, is washing in. He does not mean the gulls to 

 share the spoil if he can help it. He flaps to the beach 

 and out again just to make sure that it is coming all 

 right, and gorbles to himself a little. This wave must 

 beach it, he thinks; but no, with the receding of the 

 wave the fish a large dead skate goes also. The next 

 long roller may have more force in it, so he hopes, with 

 half open wings and throat feathers puffed out, down to 

 the very edge of the watery beach. Perching next on a 

 large stone, with keen eye and outstretched neck, the 

 bird sees it gather, a mile out. On it comes, gathering 

 in force as it begins to crest up, until with a crash it 

 breaks, and Hoody's dead fish is flung high and dry 



