156 HANDBOOK OF BRITISH INLAND BIRDS 
HOODED CROW. 
(Corvus comix.) 
Hoodie, Grey Crow, Royston Crow. — As a breed- 
ing species, the Hooded Crow is chiefly found in the 
north and west of Scotland and in Ireland, where it 
takes the place of the Carrion Crow of the rest of the 
kingdom. But it is also common as a winter visitor 
from Norway and northern Europe in the east and 
south-east of England, and often wanders along the 
coast some distance further down the Channel than 
its inland range. Its body is light grey, and its 
head and throat, wings and tail, black ; the name 
" hooded " refers to the black cap above a grey 
back and breast. These grey tints of the body, 
the very livery of the frost and mist, make the 
Hooded Crow appear the typical embodiment of 
winter desolation and savagery, and the German 
name of " Fog-Crow is the best that could be 
conceived. Its note is a harsh " krar, krar,'* like 
the Carrion Crow's, but as a rule a little slower 
and more spiritless in tone. Its diet is as varied 
as that of the kindred species, but it is even bolder 
and more cruel in its attacks on living creatures. 
The nest is usually built in late April or May, 
either on steep rocky hillsides, or in trees, and is 
similar to that of the Carrion Crow described 
