DOMESTIC HABITS OF THH CARRION-CROW. 307 
shortness of the interval, one may feel sure that it was not 
made by the bird which had only just left, but by the other one. 
The same applies to the two next visits, which were at 5.13 and 
5.15. There is a good deal of noise at each visit, but this is 
almost allon the part of the young Crows, who utter sounds like 
immature caws—or rather ‘‘quars”’ or “‘arrs’—as well as 
others of eagerness and expectation, ending in subdued, satisfied 
murmurs, upon (evidently) having been fed. A low, subdued 
chuckle, as one may call it, is the old bird’s contribution to the 
medley. Sometimes, however, it is a louder, clearer, and, 
indeed, very musical sound—at least, I judge this to be made by 
the parent, and not by one of the chicks, it being beyond them, 
I think, and too mature in tone and character. 
5.28.—Another visit, the bird remaining perched in the tree 
for a minute or two after leaving the nest. 
5.45.—Another visit, and then another just half a minute 
afterwards, so that, no doubt, each was from a different parent. 
For the next visit—at 6.3—I got up my glasses, which I had 
feared to do before. The view was much obscured by foliage, 
but the feeding appeared to me to be by regurgitation. 
This was the last observation on the birds’ nursery habits 
that I was able to make, for whilst moving some of the boughs 
in front of me, so as to get a better view, I was discovered by 
one of them, and a loud alarm instantly raised. ‘‘ Quarrr ” now 
answered ‘‘quarrr’’ in rapid succession, and the noise was 
becoming tiresome, when it was put a stop to in an unexpected 
and interesting manner, for one of the Sparrow-Hawks—evidently 
by its size and slighter build the male—flew up swiftly through 
the trees, and descending right upon the more vociferous of the 
Crows’ back—no doubt delivering, at the instant of contact, an 
assault with beak and claws—both silenced her and put her to 
instant flight. Whether the result would have been the same if 
the Crow had been then in the nesting-tree is perhaps “a 
question to be asked.” I wish she had been, but she had left it 
either upon discovering me or just before. 
Zool, 4th ser. vol XVI., September, 1912. 2D 
