THE UNIVERSAL FAMILY PAPER FOR INTER-COMMUNICATIONS ON 



-THINBS 11 OEIERAL. 



Conducted by WILLIAM kidd, of Hammersmith,— 



Author of the Familiar and Popular Essays on "Natural History;" "British Song: 

 Birds; " "Birds of Passage;" "Instinct and Keason;" "The Aviary," &c. 



"the OBJECT of our work is to make men WISER, without obliging them to turn over folios and 



QUARTOS.— TO FURNISH MATTER FOR THINKING AS WELL AS READING."— EVELYN. 



No. 28.— 1852. 



SATURDAY, JULY 10. 



Price 3d. 



Or, in Monthly Parts, Price Is. Id. 



DISTINCTIONS AND DIFFERENCES. 



THE CROW AND THE ROOK. 



People who live in towns, or pay 

 little attention to these matters, would no 

 doubt consider these two birds as one and 

 the same, alike as they are in size and color, 

 and seen, as they usually are, spread over 

 our fields, or uttering their well-known 

 cawings on the top of some hedge. They 

 are, however, as distinct in their characters 

 and habits as a hare and a rabbit. The real 

 crow, commonly called the carrion crow, is 

 the next link in the chain after the raven, 

 which it resembles far more nearly than it 

 does the rook. The male and his mate, for 

 example, seldom associate with the rest of 

 their species, except for particular purposes, 

 but generally remain in pairs. Their favor- 

 ite food too, like the raven's, is carrion, and 

 they will watch their opportunity, and 

 pounce down on young lambs, or even sheep, 

 when they find them what is called cast, — 

 that is, thrown upon their backs in a furrow, 

 and unable to rise. In these cases, the eye 

 is the point which they first attack ; but 

 smaller living prey they will also attempt 

 to carry off, to be devoured at leisure. A 

 person walking near a plantation heard a 

 shrill cry, and running in to find out the 

 cause, discovered a crow fastening itself on 

 a young rabbit, weighing from half to three- 

 quarters of a pound, which was making 

 great efforts to release itself; but in vain, for 

 the crow actually caught it up and bore it 

 away across two or three fields. Such is 

 their favorite food ; but, when pressed by 

 hunger, they will also feed on potatoes, 

 barley, or, in short, whatever comes within 

 their reach. 



The rook, on the other hand, is a social 

 bird,* passing its days with those relations 



* To prove that the Rook is not altogether 

 gregarious, and that certain members of their 

 family are of retired habits and refined taste, 



and friends amongst whom it was born and 

 bred ; and for its food, preferring a vege- 

 table diet, or such insects as it can collect 

 under the sod of the meadow, or pick up in 

 its progress over a fallow or fresh-ploughed 

 field. There is one intermediate link seen, 

 in parts of England, between the carrion 

 crow and the rook — namely, the hooded-grey 

 or Royston crow. They are clever birds, and 

 when frequenting the sea-shore, in search 

 of shell-fish, may be frequently seen, after 

 vain attempts to break through the hard 

 shell of a cockle or mussel, to seize it in their 

 bill, mount with it to a great height, and 

 then let it fall on a hard rock, by which it is 

 broken, and the bird has nothing more to 

 do than to reap the fruits of its forethought. 

 It is said that this species of crow will 

 pair with the common crow, a proof how 

 nearly allied the two species are ; as it seems 

 almost an established law of nature, one at 

 least rarely infringed, that neither animals 

 nor birds, essentially differing, however 

 near may be their apparent resemblance, 

 will ever breed together. One great dif- 

 ference, besides the color (which in the 

 hooded crow is partly grey), is, that the 

 latter is a regular migrating bird, — that is, 

 going and coming at certain times of the 

 year, to certain districts. But even in this 

 respect, the carrion crow has been known to 

 resemble it in a slight degree ; it having 

 been remarked by a naturalist, that in the 

 parish in which he resided no crows were 



we may mention that a pair of these birds have 

 left their companions and recently nested in our 

 garden. Their young, three in number, are 

 now busily occupied in flying among the high 

 trees; and seem with their parents, to be as 

 happy as birds can be. Our lofty pine trees 

 afford refuge and safe-keeping to many other 

 large birds. Magpies, jays, starlings, the wood- 

 pigeon, &c, abound during the season of incu- 

 bation. The voice of the Rook is far from being 

 discordant, indeed we have learned to listen to it 

 with pleasure. It is delightful to have the various 

 larger tribes so closely associated. — Ed, K. J. 



Vol. II. 



