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Frederick D. Welch—Some Crozes



of black and grey, with dark iris, black beak and legs. It has, so far as

I know, a general distribution over all India from Cape Comorin to

the lower ranges of the Himalaya Mountains, where it comes into

conflict at times with the Lammergicir or Bearded Vulture (Gypciems

harbatus), arising out of disputes over food ; but as the Vulture is a

large bird of about 42 inches long, it presumably does not trouble itself

overmuch when chivvied by irritable and angry Crows !


I cannot say offhand at the moment whether the Indian Crow is as

great a pilferer of the eggs of other birds as is the Grey Crow ( Corvus

cornix ) and Carrion Crow ( C. corone) of Europe ; but I have been told

it will pick up a golf ball in its toes and fly away with it, which action

suggests it would not hesitate to take any bird’s egg it might find. If

so, in captivity it should be kept alone and away from any other birds

which are nesting—for the welfare of the nesting birds. The voice is

much like “ kerr, kerr ! ” and is to my mind a pleasanter sound than

that of Rooks. It may not be out of place to remark here that these

latter will also carry off a fowl’s egg in their toes if they find any laid

astray in field or hedge in similar way to Crows. This action I have

seen done by Rooks several times.


Several years ago there was a CroAV from Persia in the London

Gardens labelled Chaplain Crow, Corvus capellanus, which Avas, so far

as I remember, an all-black species. Can any member tell anything

about these \


While admitting that my friend of early childhood is a nice-looking

CroAV, I cannot agree completely Avith Mr. Frank Finn’s remarks in

his book, The Birds of Calcutta, when he compares this Oriental bird

with others of the tribe, and claims Corvus splendens as the “ sleekest,

glossiest, and best got-up felloAV of the lot,” p. 1.


What about the West African bird, known as Corvus scajndattis,

or the White-necked CroAV ? The contrast of its white breast and

collar, Avith the black of the rest of plumage and black beak and legs

makes it, in my humble opinion, a handsomer bird than the Indian.

A picture of it may be seen in the Royal Natural History, vol. iii, p. 310 ;

and the iris Avas brown in living birds seen by me.


Whether it will get as tame and impudent as the Indian bird I

cannot say — but perhaps Dr. Hopkinson can inform about its doings



