Birds. 6633 



you ! " With that away flew the hammer right through the window, 

 — glass, frame and all, — and, hitting the unsuspecting creature on 

 the head, felled him to the ground, a corpse. 



The Carrion and Hooded Crows (C. corone and C. comix) seem 

 to be in about equal numbers, not very numerous. They appear also 

 to associate together, in winter as well as in summer. They are to be 

 found in certain parts of our coast all the year round. Many of them 

 breed there; others retire inland for that purpose. Our keepers 

 destroy them whenever opportunity offers. I wonder that our fisher- 

 men do not do the same, considering that they destroy great numbers 

 of a certain Crustacean, namely, Carcinus Moenas, which is some- 

 times used as bait. One would almost think that Mr. Crab's head 

 would be proof against black-neb. But no ; and what he cannot 

 manage below he goes up aloft with. What ! to break the shell 

 against the edge of a cloud ? O no ; but to let poor crabbie fall on 

 some stone or rock, chosen for that purpose. If one topsyturvy 

 does'nt do, up he goes again : another summerset, and still not 

 smashed. Up he goes a third time, and I have seen him a fourth, 

 but this is rarely the case, the first or second generally doing the 

 work of destruction. When once a convenient stone or rock is met 

 with, these birds resort to it for a long time. I myself know one, a 

 pretty high rock, which has been used for this purpose for the last 

 twenty years ; I don't say by the self-same birds, but it has been used 

 for that period, and perhaps considerably longer. Besides being 

 fond of crabbie, they are very partial to the finny tribes, and, 

 though very good fishers themselves, very seldom if ever lose an 

 opportunity of assailing the heron when he has had the good fortune 

 to make a prisoner. I have seen them watch him intently, and, as 

 soon as a successful dive could be made, rush upon him ; and if the 

 heron did not instantly swallow his prize, he was almost sure to come 

 off second best, with a good teasing to boot. I have also seen the 

 heron attacked when on his way home in summer time loaded with 

 food for his family. 



Early in the summer of 1845, whilst loitering about the hills of 

 Boyndie, I observed a heron flying heavily along in a direction as if 

 passing from the sea, and seemingly well stored with provisions from 

 that rich and inexhaustible magazine of nature, and at the same time 

 pursued by a carrion crow, followed at some distance by two magpies. 

 They had not proceeded far when two hooded crows made their 

 appearance, and quickly joined their black associate in his attack 

 on the heron. The heron had by this time got into an open space 

 XVII. 2 T 



