CHAPTER OF VARIETIES. 



507 



pearance, but are nevertheless most decidedly distinct and he refers 

 to eminent naturalists being unable to distinguish between individuals 

 of the crow species in appearance, though their habits are widely 

 different *. Not having acquired the natural history of birds with 

 sufficient accuracy, I would not positively assert that the black crow 

 which paired with the hooded crow in the instance I described, was 

 a carrion crow (C. Corone). But I can safely say, that I had a very 

 favourable opportunity of remarking any difference in the appearance 

 and habits of the carrion crow and the black crow which paired with 

 the hooded crow ; for a carrion crow and its male built their nest in 

 the same row of large beech trees, within fifty yards of the nest of 

 the hooded crow. I watched the two pairs of birds very attentively at 

 all times of the day, and I could not perceive the least difference in 

 the shape, gait, general manner, cry, on the ground or on the tree, or 

 mode of flight in the air, between the carrion crow and the black crow. 

 The common crow, or rook, chased both on the wing, and both swerved 

 from the attack in the same manner, and with the same indifference. 



In regard to hooded crows mixing with black crows, I never saw 

 the former with any black crows but the rook, except in the case of 

 pairing. I never saw the black crows in flocks, but the hooded crows 

 so every season. The hooded crows used to follow the plough every 

 spring, in company with the rook, in search of food when the lea was 

 turned over ; but the black crows were never so occupied. The 

 hooded crows live in numbers on the sea shore in winter, but I never 

 saw the black crows with them in that situation. In short, were it 

 desired to be ascertained what the black crows are, they should be 

 described as being much more nearly allied, in every respect of ex- 

 ternal appearance and habit, to the carrion, than to the hooded, crow. 



H. S. 



Edinburgh. 



On taming wild ducks. — I have heard it often remarked, that 

 wild ducks, though hatched by domestic ducks or hens, will fly away 

 from the poultry yard whenever they can take wing. Whether this 

 observation is true or not I do not know ; but that full grown wild 

 ducks can be so tamed as to permit the person who feeds them to 

 approach quite near them, is an undoubted fact. A gentleman, whose 

 property was bounded on one side by the river North Esk, in Forfar- 



* Field Naturalist's Magazine, vol. i. p. 279. 



