The Nest of " Corvus Gorone." 81 



the trunk — sends his shot through it, to smash the eggs." 

 I never heard of a crow's nest "on the broad top of a pollard 

 tree " ; but whether there or elsewhere, I should say that 

 the keeper who acts as above were a man without much 

 intelligence, and silly in so wasting his ammunition. 

 For the wall-work of a Carrion Crow's nest is so thick, 

 and of such solid structure, no shot of gun, save the 

 bullet of a big bore, could possible be sent through it. 



Perhaps the most notable difference in the nests of 

 these two birds is their lining, with the materials com- 

 posing it. In the magpie's nest there is only one layer, 

 which is some sort of threadlike, fibrous substance, ap- 

 parently the root processes of the ivy. A compost of 

 mud, or clay where it can be had, is laid underneath 

 these rootlets to attach them to the wattle- work of sticks. 

 The interior of the Crow's nest is altogether different, 

 there being two layers of lining composed of various 

 materials. Nor is there any mud, clay, or siich earthy 

 matters, though Montagu and other ornithologists 

 say there is. I myself have never seen such in the 

 Crows' nests that have come under my observation. The 

 lining, as I have said, is two-fold : first, a layer of grass, 

 this also of two sorts — cooch, and a broad-leafed kind 

 common in our woods, and known to the woodmen as 

 " deer grass." These mixed together form a stratum of 

 an inch thick, resting immediately on the groundwork of 

 twigs ; while the extreme inner lining, of about the same 

 thickness, is composed of many substances, combined 

 and closely felted together so as to make a neat hemi- 

 spherical cavity. Pulling them apart, I find horsehair to 

 predominate with wool ; and a few birds' feathers, among 

 them two or three wing primaries of the wild pigeon 

 'Quest). But, mirabile dietu ! human hair also, woman's 



G 



