BRITISH BIRDS 



Order PASSERES. 



Family CORVIDiE. 



THE CARRION-CROW. 

 Corvus corone, Linnaeus. 

 Plate 21. 



The Carrion-Crow is resident and not uncommon in many parts of England 

 and Wales, and although a shy and wary bird, it is known to inhabit the London 

 parks. Roughly speaking, from the Borders to the central portions of Scotland, 

 this crow is still plentiful, while it occurs along the eastern side as far as Suther- 

 land, but it is either rare or altogether absent in the northern and north-western 

 parts, where its place is taken by the Hooded Crow. In Ireland it is seldom found. 



According to the new "List of British Birds" published by The British 

 Ornithologists' Union (2nd ed. 191 5), the latest and most authoritative work on 

 the subject, to which I am indebted for much information, " the typical form 

 of the Carrion-Crow breeds commonly in western Europe as far east as the Elbe, 

 in Switzerland, Bohemia, the highlands of Austria and upper Italy. It occurs 

 occasionally in other parts of Europe." Its range extends eastwards to western 

 Siberia, where Seebohm found it interbreeding with the Hooded Crow. 



Breeding later in the year than the Rook or Raven, the Carrion-Crow has its 

 nest completed by the end of April, either building a new one or returning to its 

 home of former years. This is usually placed in a tree or on some ledge of rock, 

 and is built of sticks and warmly lined with moss, wool, feathers, and hair. When 

 the nest has been occupied for several years in succession, it becomes large and 

 bulky owing to the frequent addition of materials. The eggs, varying in number 

 from four to six, have the ground colour of a pale bluish-green, spotted and 

 blotched with umber- or olive-brown and shades of purplish-grey. 



Like the rest of its family, the Carrion-Crow will eat almost any food which 

 comes to hand, and devours great numbers of the eggs and young of other birds, 

 sometimes also attacking and killing leverets and even newly-born lambs when 

 it gets the opportunity. It keenly searches the sea-shore for mussels and other 

 shell-fish, of which it is extremely fond, and in order to open these easily will rise 

 to some height and drop its booty on a stone or rock, thus fracturing the shell. 

 The ordinary cry of the Carrion-Crow is a harsh grating croak, varying in tone, 

 but not so deep as the Raven's nor so soft as the Rook's. 



In its habits this bird is more or less solitary, scouring the countr}'side in 

 search of food, generally in pairs, as it probably mates for life. At times, however, 

 when food is abundant in any particular locality, or when their numbers are not kept 

 down, Carrion-Crows will collect in flocks. The sexes do not differ in plumage. 



II. A 



