8? 



boxes of the steamboat. A shot or two which I 

 fired at some Gannets at first greatly alarmed them, 

 and one of the crows beat a speedy retreat ; it soon 

 however returned and after a time they got used to 

 the noise of the shooting and the shouts of the men 

 who were fishing, and stalked gravely about on the 

 bridge seeming to take particular notice of what 

 was going on. Towards dusk the wind freshened 

 and the pitching of the steamboat seemed to dis- 

 agree with them, as after looking very miserable 

 for some time in their vain attempts to keep their 

 footing, they at last took a reluctant farewell, flying 

 slowly against a head wind towards the land. 



The male and female together with the nest 

 were obtained near Lairg in Sutherland in June, 

 1869. 



The case is copied from a sketch taken from a 

 nest in the rocks at Longa Island off the west 

 coast of Ross-shire. 



See "Kough Notes," Vol. I, Plate 26. 



BLACK CROW. 

 Case 104. 



This bird may be found generally dispersed 

 over the country, though nowhere very abundant. 

 The bad character which it bears and the persecu- 

 tion it undergoes in consequence at the hands of 

 the game-keepers easily account for its numbers 

 being kept down. 



I have never noticed these birds to flock 

 together like Grey Crows, but the brood of the 



Srevious summer seems to keep with the parents 

 uring the whole of the autumn and winter ; the 

 family apparently only breaking up on the approach 

 of spring or the death of some of their number. 



The bare space at the base of the bill of the 

 mature Rook is always supposed to distinguish 

 that bird from the present species ; but as old 



