108 



CORVID.E. 



feather, nine inches and three-eighths ; the first wing-feather 

 two inches and a half shorter than the second, which is 

 three-quarters of an inch shorter than the third ; the third 

 and fourth feathers nearly equal in length, and the longest in 

 the wing. The wings when closed do not reach to the 

 end of the tail by rather more than one inch. 



The female is smaller in size than the male ; the grey 

 colour of the feathers under the hood is less conspicuous, 

 being rather darker than that of the males, and is not 

 spread over so large a surface. 



Young birds of the year exhibit but little grey colour 

 about the neck, and it is not much more obvious in the 

 second year ; several years are probably required for the 

 attainment of the bright silvery grey colour observable on 

 some males. 



The vignette below represents the breast-bone of the 

 Jackdaw, as illustrative of the form of the sternum in the 

 genus Corvus. 



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