NATURAL HISTORY. 59 



head down again that he may swallow it; and they often find that 

 something has happened in this operation, which has distressed the 

 horse much, for before they can give him another they are obliged to 

 let him recover; and some horses are some time before they do recover. 



On the Ass. 



"With respect to this animal I have nothing new to say ; since it is 

 in every part of Europe nearly the same in size, colour, and habits of 

 life. In Arabia and Egypt this animal is much larger, fleeter, and 

 more beautiful than in Europe. Its favourite food is the alkaline 

 plants, which are produced in great plenty ; and for drink it prefers 

 saline springs to fresh water. This animal suffers great violence on 

 its natural habits in being accustomed to these northern countries. 



In the reign of Queen Elizabeth, the breed was extinct in this 

 kingdom ; and, to this day, in Norway and Sweden, an ass is never 

 seen but as a curiosity in the stables of the great. 



Economy of Crows 1 . 



The male and female both sit upon the eggs ; probably the female by 

 day and the male by night ; for the male appears to be the one that 

 goes in quest of food and feeds the female ; probably while she is sitting ; 

 but he certainly feeds her after the young ones are hatched. When the 

 young ones are hatched, the female sits upon them, and the male goes in 

 quest of food for the whole family. When he comes home she leaves 

 the nest, sitting either on its edge or on a neighbouring bough, and 

 flutters her wings for food to give the young ones, like a young one 

 that has just flown ; and he gives her some, but appears to give no more 

 than what she takes for herself. Then they both go to the side of the 

 nest and feed the young, who stretch up their necks with open mouths. 

 They seem to put it pretty far down the young one's throat. If the 

 quantity the male has to give is in small portions, as worms, &c., he. 

 seems to give, from his throat, each his share, and then flies away for 

 more. If the portion of food be too large for any one young one, the 

 parents both tear it to pieces, and then feed the young with it. 



If the male is long in any of his returns, the female seems impatient 

 and sets off either for herself or for her young ones. They bring the 

 meat in their throats, which makes a considerable lump at the root of 

 the lower jaw. 



1 [As Hunter's observations relate exclusively to the Corvus fntgilcgus, the com- 

 mon name of that social species will be substituted for the term now usually applied 

 to the solitary Corvus corone.] 



