394 THE ZOOLOGIST. 
He seemed asleep, but flew out, once, from the coppice, and back 
again, just as I was getting into position. I now watched the nest 
closely (from a cavity in a thick gorse-hedge, where, and from the 
side on which I entered, I was quite invisible), and just at 5 the 
sitting bird flew off it. There was no change upon or visit to the 
nest, the other bird having flown down on to the ground a little 
while before. On leaving the nest the Crow flew to a tree not far 
off, and sat there, preening herself and stretching her wings. She 
then flew down to the ground, where I lost her, as I have the other, 
and at 5.15 one of the pair, probably she, flew into the coppice, and, 
having chased some small birds from the nest, sat in a tree near it. 
At 5.35 she flies away, and soon after this I leave. 
2nd.—Got into position by 4am. It was too dark for me to 
distinguish anything but the black mass of the nest as I passed the 
coppice, and even this was invisible from my place of concealment 
till I had sat there for some little while. Gradually I saw both it 
and the partner bird perched in the adjoining tree. At 4.40 the 
latter flew, a little, out of the coppice into a tree quite near, and in 
the same line with it—much as yesterday. At 5 he flew from here, 
and I lost sight of him, nor did he reappear whilst I stayed. At 
5.15 the sitting bird flew from the nest without any apparent getting 
ready to do so—directly off the eggs, as it seemed. I stayed long 
enough to make it quite certain that this exit of the sitting bird had 
nothing to do with the coming up of the other to take its place. The 
latter did not reappear, and it must have been quite half-past five 
when I walked into the coppice and struck the quite small birch tree 
several clanging blows with my walking-stick camp-stool, thus re- 
inforcing (for no bird flew out) the verdict of my eyes. 
If all the details of the above two extracts be studied, it will be 
seen that it would be violently straining all probability to suppose 
that a change had taken place upon the nest before 5a.m.and 5.15 a.m. 
respectively. In Kirkman’s ‘ The British Bird Book ’ it is stated,* in 
regard to the Carrion-Crow, that ‘‘ both sexes incubate.” No refer- 
ence being given, or further comment made, there seems room for a 
little evidence on the subject, and I herewith contribute my quota. 
Tt affirms (within its limits) that there is no change upon the nest 
between the two sexes of Crow, and that after the nest has been left 
by the incubating bird it remains empty, generally under such cir- 
cumstances as make it apparent that the going off of the latter has 
not stood in any relation to the coming up, to incubate, of its mate, 
* Section I. p. 3. 
