Tur ZooLtocist—Marcg, 1872. 2961 
allured a third crow to his doom, for it is needless to say that the watchful 
keeper was only too glad of the opportunity of shooting the rascal. At 
length the sitting bird having laid the full complement of eggs, remained 
at home and brought up her young ones till they could be conveniently 
killed, after which she herself fell a victim. The keeper, in telling me this 
episode of crow life, said he was almost sorry when on picking her up he 
found she had only one leg, the other having apparently been taken off in a 
trap a considerable time before.” 
Respecting the mischief perpetrated by the hooded crow in the 
Hebrides, Mr. Gray writes :— 
“On the western side of the Long Island, where farming is extensively 
practised, they are particularly mischievous, their plundering raids among 
lambs and poultry being distinguished by an amount of wariness and 
cunning which makes their unwelcome presence a subject of constant 
annoyance. Away from the coast their perpetual thefts are not less felt. 
In spring and summer, during the time of breeding, no bird is safe against 
their attacks—a momentary exposure of the nest and eggs being too great a 
temptation to the feathered vagabonds. Even the golden and sea eagles 
frequently lose their eggs by these crows.” 
The habit of the oystercatcher of ascending the course of rivers 
and passing the summer far inland is noticed by Mr. Gray. We can 
ourselves remember our surprise, some few years since, at seeing 
oystercatchers in a meadow not far from Blair Athole, in company 
with starlings and jackdaws, the time of the year being the 
beginning of August. Some of those observed by Mr. Gray were 
seen near the same spot. It is worth while to quote Mr. Gray’s 
remarks upon the subject. 
“The oystercatcher pairs early in the season, and in some parts of 
Scotland is known to travel long distances inland. When travelling from 
Perth to Inverness in April, 1870, I observed several pairs on the banks of 
the Tay evidently mated. Near Dalguise, I saw others frequenting ploughed 
fields at some distance from the river; and at Ballinluig two or three pairs 
were observed near a farm steadily feeding not more than twenty yards 
from the pigeons and poultry. On reaching Pitlochry, I found five or six 
pairs, all apparently mated; and: finally, as we passed Blair Athole and 
proceeded northwards towards Struan, I counted about a dozen more, 
showing that these birds follow the windings of such a river as the Tay, 
and take up their summer quarters on its banks at the commencement of 
the breeding season. About a week afterwards, while travelling along the 
side of the Spey from Rothes to Abernethy, I took notice of the fact that 
