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eyrie than the Crows pounced on the exposed eggs, and would doubtless have succeeded in 

 breaking them had not the male Eagle made his appearance and beaten them off. Captain 

 Cameron, of Glenbrittle, has also informed me that he has seen a pair of Grey Crows rifle a 

 Sea-Eagle's nest and break and devour the eggs as determinedly as if they were those of some 

 innocent Grouse." Enormous numbers of sea-fowl's eggs are destroyed by Hooded Crows, who 

 watch and pounce down on them directly the old bird leaves them. When egg-collecting on the 

 shores of the Baltic I was frequently attended by Crows, who took advantage of our intrusion to 

 secure a share of the spoil, but were quite cunning enough to keep well out of gunshot range. 

 They devour larger eggs, such as those of Ducks, Guillemots, or Gulls, at the nest or close 

 to where they have been deposited, but will carry off smaller eggs to their own nests; and 

 Mr. Meves remarks (J. f. O. 1869, p. 391) on the large number of shells of the eggs of the 

 Redshank, Eeeve, Dunlin, Lapwing, and Ring-Plover which he found on the ground under the 

 nests of this species. Mr. R. Collett, writing respecting its habits in Norway, says, " perhaps the 

 most pernicious bird occurring on the coast. It does far greater damage, by its depredations 

 among the eggs and young of sea-fowl, than all the birds of prey together. It .is chiefly the 

 coast districts south of Lofoten which suffer from its ravenous instincts. In West Finmark it is 

 not so numerous, though I found it everywhere, even on the outermost holms and islets at the 

 North Cape. But further south, along the whole coast there is scarcely a rock inhabited by sea- 

 birds which it does not ravage during the summer months. It is particularly partial to the eggs 

 of all species of Anates, Somateria, and Hamiatopus, which breed some distance apart; the 

 gregarious Lari and Sternce are generally sufficiently numerous to repel its attacks. So soon as 

 the young of these species are hatched they are safe to be snapped up whenever an opportunity 

 presents itself of doing so with impunity. In the adjacent valleys it evinces the same predatory 

 proclivities, preying upon small birds and the eggs and young of black game and Ptarmigan." 

 Mr. Collett, in order to show the omnivorous nature of the present species, gives the contents of 

 the stomachs of the young of various ages. A brood, about five days old, had their stomachs 

 filled almost exclusively with coleoptera, amongst which were countless numbers of Bembidia 

 and Materes (chiefly Cryptyphms rivularis), and the larvse of Noctuee. A half-fledged brood, 

 about fifteen days old, had been fed on quantities of seed-corn (barley), a number of coleoptera 

 of the species above named, a few Araneidce ; and the pelvis of an Arvicola was also in the stomach 

 of one bird. In the stomachs of a nearly fledged brood were fish and fragments of the shells of 

 Patella ; and an adult bird, shot in August, had in its stomach fragments of Carcinus mamas 

 and entire cherries. In Finland and Russia, where I had the most ample opportunities of 

 observing this species, it is exceedingly numerous and tame, especially during the winter-season, 

 when, owing to the ground being covered with deep snow, and food being scarce in the open 

 country, it is forced to seek a precarious subsistence on the high roads and in the towns and 

 villages. In all the large towns numbers are seen in company with Pigeons and Jackdaws ; and 

 when in Moscow I used to put food outside my window, and usually had quite an assemblage 

 waiting round the window when feeding-time drew nigh, the Crows being always the most daring 

 and also the most self-asserting amongst the assembled crowd ; and one would often sit on the 

 window-sill and remain, although I might be close to the window, until I opened it to put out 

 the food. Very frequently Crows will assemble together in large flocks, apparently without 



