5514 Birds. 



The crows are birds which, not being shot by the sportsman as 

 game or attractive objects for the cabinet, nor by the fowler for food, 

 are therefore not often closely observed, unless shot by any one for 

 that purpose. From this reason a resident naturalist does not happen 

 to have rare species brought to him by others as singular or handsome 

 birds, on account of their not appeering distinct from others of the 

 same family at a distance, and therefore, as I never chanced to shoot 

 any of them myself in the Crimea, I cannot speak of them with any 

 certainty. 



I occasionally used to observe what a friend, somewhat knowing in 

 birds, and myself used to consider, from its hoarse croak, to be the 

 raven (Corvus cor ax), and T have no doubt in my own mind that it 

 was ; and I should think it very probable that this bird breeds in the 

 rocky and wild parts of the Crimea. 



Of the carrion crow [Corvus corone) and hooded crow (Corvus 

 comix) being inhabitants there can be no doubt, for, from their well- 

 known appearance and habits, I think the youngest observer could not 

 help being satisfied. I did not observe many of these birds during the 

 summer, perhaps on account of there being no sandy beach or flat 

 mud coast near, where one would be likely to find them : through the 

 winter they were numerous, and often a good many would be collected 

 on the site of a summer camp, ^here they would pick up a good deal 

 of scattered barley and other leavings ; on such occasions they were 

 often in company with gulls and jackdaws, and it was amusing to see 

 gulls chasing both hooded crows and jackdaws on the wing, but 

 I never chanced to see the operation reversed, the first always ap- 

 pearing to be the strongest. 1 have observed gulls feeding in com- 

 pany with hooded crows on dead animals. 



During the winter I used frequently to observe flocks of jackdaws 

 (Corvus monedula) go over the camp in the morning, and they were 

 numerous during the spring and beginning of summer, and must have 

 reared their young about the cliffs. In the beginning of May I ob- 

 served, what I noted at the time, a white ring was plainly visible 

 below the gray on the neck of one bird ; this was at about thirty 

 yards' distance. 



The magpie (Corvus pica), of which a specimen was procured by 

 Dr. W. Carte, I observed during summer and spring, but never 

 numerous as a species. 



The jay (Corvus glandarius) was by no means uncommon during 

 the winter, when, as in Britain, it ranged the woods in parties : I ob- 

 served no peculiarities in the specimens examined, and Dr. William 



