XCVII. 

 CORVUS CORNIX 



HuoDED Ckow, NoiiWAY Cuow 



The Hooded Crow leaves the shores of England during 

 the spring of the year (no breeding place, that I ara aware of, 

 existing on the English coast) and retires further north for 

 the purposes of incubation. It is then tolerably abundant in 

 Scotland, and is dispersed sparingly through the Orkney and 

 Shetland Islands. It seems to accommodate itself with per- 

 fect indifference with regard to the situation of its nest. In 

 Scotland it is found, according to Selby, in trees, rocks, and 

 precipices on the sea shore. In Shetland, where trees do not 

 exist, and it would be almost as difficult to find a stick, it 

 builds its nest upon the cliffs or single rocks, which rise above 

 the ocean, and resorts to the same substitute as the eagles, 

 forming it of the long and very flexible branches of the larger 

 sea weeds, lining it with quantities of dry grass, wool, hair, 

 and any other soft material. 



In Norway, ihey inhabit here and there the boundless 

 forests, but never at a distance from the sea ; arising probably 

 from their partiality to shell fish. On one of the islands, at 

 sea, we found a solitary pair of Hooded Crows, which had 

 established their nest in the rock, in the very camp of their 

 enemies, the Sea Gulls, which took every possible opportunity 

 of annoying them, and upon our driving one of them from the 

 nest, persecuted it without mercy. One of the eggs was 

 hatched, another just chipped. We wished much to obtain 

 the shell without causing the death of the young one, and in 

 order to accomplish this, my friend, Mr. John Hancock, per- 

 formed the accouchment most admirably with a lancet, and 

 left the young Crow sprawling uninjured at the bottom of 

 the nest. 



