THE CARRION CROW (Corvus cor one.) 



The principal colour is black, shining, with a steely 

 blue lustre on the neck and back. The beak strong, 

 distinctly curved, and black, as are also the feet ; the 

 eyes are dark brown. The Carrion Crow makes its nest 

 in woods and is for the most part solitary ; when with 

 others, each one nests alone on a separate tree. The 

 nest consists of twigs, roots, leaves, etc. The hollow 

 of the nest is softly lined, and in the spring, four to six 

 eggs may be found in it, of a pale green colour, speckled 

 with brown and grey. 



The Carrion Crow is sly and cunning ; courageous, 

 but at the same time, cautious, and extraordinarily clever ; 

 it discriminates exactly between the farmer and the 

 hunter, and allows the former to come quite close to 

 him. Its sense of smell is very delicate ; it scents carrion 

 a mile away, under snow and earth. This bird is to the 

 West what the Hooded Crow is to the East from 

 Austria onward through the whole of Germany and in 

 Great Britain. It croaks hoarsely " Caw, caw, caw." 



The Carrion Crow follows the plough, and devours 

 grubs and mice ; it eats the insects in large quantities, 

 and lies in wait, for the mice about their holes. On the 

 sea shore, it will seize a large muscle with its beak, fly 

 up to a considerable height in the air, then drop the 

 muscle on to a rock, so that the shell is broken to pieces, 

 and the contents emptied out. The Carrion Crow steals 

 and plunders the nests of the useful birds, spoils fruit 

 and crops; but the great naturalist Naumann advises 

 that these birds should not be too hastily destroyed, for 







