236 



THE FOOD OF ANIMALS 



of the feeding habits of the species mentioned, using the word 

 "crow" to include them all: — "All crows live both on seeds and 

 animal food, including carrion. Ravens, and sometimes even 

 rooks, attack lambs and sick or weakly sheep, also ducks, geese, 

 fowls, and pigeons. . . . The jackdaw at most steals the eggs of 

 poultry, and the larger crows naturally do the same thing. I 

 myself have often noticed a rook or a hooded-crow sheltered on 

 the branch of a tree near the nest of a tame duck, till this had 

 finished laying an egg. As soon as this was done, and the duck 



Fig. 456. — Rook {Corvus frugilegtis) 



had left her nest, the crow flew down to feast on the warm 

 egg. All crows, especially ravens, are highly injurious to game; 

 they kill hares and rabbits, . . . young partridges, quails, pheasants, 

 &c. It is also true that all crow- like forms devour voles, though 

 usually only the sick and weakly individuals, which during a ' vole 

 year ' are found in large numbers on the fields in late summer. 

 Healthy voles commonly creep too quickly into the ground to be 

 seized by crows. Nevertheless, when these pests are numerous, 

 the crows do their best for agriculture in this respect. Much 

 more harm, however, is effected by them as a result of the large 

 amount of havoc they work among useful insect-eating singing - 

 birds, their attention being more especially directed to the eggs 

 and nestlings. Crows are of great use as destroyers of insects. 

 In cockchafer-years flocks of rooks are to be seen on trees infested 

 by these pests, which they catch very cleverly with the beak, 

 devouring the abdomen and hinder part of the thorax, but letting 

 the remainder . . . fall on the ground. . . . Crows also devour 



