﻿BIRDS. 
  

  

  11 
  

  

  Corvus 
  corone, 
  L. 
  Carrion 
  Crow. 
  

  

  Local 
  Names 
  of 
  the 
  Grey 
  form. 
  — 
  Hoddie, 
  Hoddie 
  Craw, 
  Headie 
  Craw, 
  

   Hithie 
  Craw. 
  1 
  

  

  The 
  black 
  form 
  of 
  the 
  Crow, 
  though 
  by 
  no 
  means 
  so 
  abundant 
  

   in 
  the 
  northern 
  as 
  in 
  the 
  southern 
  parts 
  of 
  Moray, 
  is 
  by 
  no 
  means 
  

   a 
  rare 
  bird, 
  according 
  to 
  some 
  of 
  our 
  correspondents. 
  It 
  is 
  said 
  

   to 
  be 
  common, 
  and 
  nests 
  at 
  Invergarry, 
  and 
  we 
  find 
  it 
  recorded 
  

   also 
  from 
  Fairburn. 
  At 
  Glen 
  Urquhart 
  it 
  is 
  seldom 
  seen 
  (A. 
  Craig), 
  

   and 
  from 
  the 
  extreme 
  north 
  of 
  our 
  area 
  we 
  have 
  no 
  further 
  news 
  

   of 
  its 
  increase 
  since 
  what 
  was 
  recorded 
  of 
  it 
  in 
  a 
  former 
  volume 
  

   {Fauna 
  of 
  Sutherland 
  and 
  Caithness, 
  p. 
  147). 
  

  

  With 
  reference 
  to 
  the 
  identity 
  of 
  the 
  two 
  forms, 
  which 
  has, 
  we 
  

   think, 
  been 
  pretty 
  well 
  established 
  by 
  Professor 
  Newton 
  (Yarrell, 
  

   4th 
  ed., 
  pp. 
  274-5), 
  it 
  would 
  seem 
  that 
  St. 
  John 
  was 
  well 
  aware 
  

   of 
  this 
  fact 
  (Sport 
  in 
  Moray, 
  p. 
  58), 
  for 
  he 
  says 
  that 
  he 
  has 
  ' 
  killed 
  

   crows 
  of 
  every 
  shade 
  of 
  plumage, 
  from 
  pure 
  black 
  to 
  the 
  perfectly 
  

   marked 
  Hooded 
  Crow, 
  and 
  this 
  without 
  reference 
  to 
  age 
  or 
  size.' 
  

   He 
  further 
  remarks 
  that 
  he 
  has 
  seen 
  the 
  grey 
  and 
  black 
  forms 
  

   paired, 
  but 
  never, 
  so 
  far 
  north, 
  a 
  pair 
  of 
  black 
  ones. 
  

  

  In 
  our 
  opinion, 
  their 
  distinctness 
  is 
  not 
  by 
  any 
  means 
  proved 
  

   by 
  all 
  the 
  data 
  and 
  arguments 
  advanced 
  by 
  Seebohm 
  (Ornithology 
  

   of 
  Siberia, 
  Ibis, 
  1878, 
  p. 
  328 
  et 
  seq.) 
  ; 
  but 
  the 
  significance 
  of 
  the 
  

   distribution 
  of 
  the 
  two 
  forms 
  in 
  Asia, 
  Europe, 
  and 
  in 
  the 
  British 
  

   Isles 
  ought 
  to 
  prove 
  of 
  considerable 
  importance 
  in 
  an 
  intelligent 
  

   appreciation 
  of 
  the 
  study 
  of 
  migrational 
  phenomena. 
  

  

  Mr. 
  0. 
  A. 
  J. 
  Lee 
  mentions 
  a 
  Hooded 
  Crow 
  shot 
  near 
  Forres 
  that 
  

   had 
  a 
  grey 
  instead 
  of 
  a 
  black 
  head. 
  Such 
  variations, 
  viz. 
  :— 
  those 
  

   which 
  show 
  distinctly 
  intermediate 
  stages 
  between 
  the 
  two 
  forms, 
  

   are 
  rarer 
  in 
  Scotland 
  than 
  they 
  are 
  in 
  Siberia 
  ; 
  and 
  the 
  varieties 
  

   which 
  closely 
  resemble 
  either 
  one 
  parent 
  or 
  the 
  other 
  are 
  more 
  

   usual 
  in 
  Scotland. 
  Surely 
  naturalists 
  might 
  agree 
  on 
  some 
  common 
  

   name, 
  seeing 
  the 
  two 
  forms 
  are 
  now 
  recognised 
  as 
  one 
  and 
  the 
  

   same. 
  

  

  The 
  grey 
  form 
  is 
  still 
  too 
  abundant, 
  despite 
  the 
  war 
  that 
  is 
  

   constantly 
  waged 
  against 
  it. 
  In 
  some 
  places 
  these 
  birds 
  keep 
  up 
  

  

  1 
  An 
  early 
  recognition 
  of 
  the 
  identity 
  of 
  the 
  two 
  forms 
  is 
  instanced 
  in 
  the 
  O.S.A. 
  

   under 
  Dumfriesshire, 
  thus: 
  — 
  'Small 
  Raven, 
  which 
  in 
  this 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  country 
  is 
  

   entirely 
  black, 
  but 
  is 
  the 
  same 
  with 
  the 
  Grey 
  or 
  Hooded 
  Crow 
  of 
  other 
  parts 
  of 
  

   Scotland. 
  1 
  

  

  