66 
composed solely of the one sex. The Chaffinch is a seed eater, but 
during the breeding season becomes largely insectivorous, feeding 
its young on caterpillars, flies, and grubs. The nest of the Chaffinch 
is exquisitely constructed of moss and lichen, and cosily lined with 
hair and feathers, and it is not at all uncommon to find worked into 
the outside small bits of newspaper, oft-times the relic of a paper 
chase. The nest, often built in the lichen-covered fork of an apple 
tree, assimilates so closely to its surroundings, as to be difficult 
of discovery. The eggs are usually four in number, greenish in 
ground-colour, and streaked and marled with brown and black. 
This photograph of the nest and eggs of the Chaffinch completes 
the series of this bird, as pictures of young will be found on Page 30 
of the First Series and Page 21 of the Second Series of IVild Birds 
at Home , and of the adult bird on Page 22 of the latter. Larger 
photographs will be found on Pages 72 and 73 of Nature Pictures 
tGowans & Gray, Ltd., 7/6 net). 
Crow, Carrion- (Pages 18-22). — This bird is a resident, though 
in winter its numbers are enormously increased by an autumn 
invasion from the Continent and Scandinavia. Of the Carrion-Crow 
very little good can be said, while it is unquestionably the source of 
much trouble and loss to game preservers. In size it is slightly 
larger than the Rook, which it also resembles closely in appearance, 
the chief distinctions between the two being that, while the Rook is 
always gregarious, the Carrion-Crow is a solitary bird, and the latter 
has at all ages the face feathered, in contrast to the Rook, which in 
its second year loses the facial feathers, presenting that rough and 
uncouth appearance which is so familiar to all. 
The Carrion-Crow has deservedly earned persecution, with the 
result that it is now a shy bird and to be found in any number only 
in the more retired and inaccessible parts of our islands, where it 
resorts to breed. The nest is placed either in crevices amongst 
rocks, or perhaps more frequently in the branches of a tree 
growing from a cliff face, though now and again an odd pair may be 
found nesting in an unexpected situation, such as the comer of a 
coppice, quite near to human habitation, though in such cases it is 
unlikely there is a gamekeeper near. The eggs are four or five in 
number, of a bluish-green ground colour, thickly blotched, spotted 
and streaked with olive-brown. The Carrion-Crow is the nearest 
relative of the Hooded Crow, with which it not infrequently inter- 
breeds, the young in such cases partaking of the characteristics of 
one of the parents— that is, appearing either all black, as the 
Carrion-Crow, or with the plumage of the true Hooded Crow. 
In colour the Carrion-Crow is black, with a metallic lustre of dark 
steel-blue, which is particularly apparent in the spring months; its 
length is about 19 inches. 
These photographs of the nest and eggs and adult of the Carrion- 
Crow complete the series of this bird, as pictures of the young will 
be found on Pages 22 and 23 of IVild Birds at Home , Third 
Series. See also Page 127 of Nature Pictures (Gowans & Gray, 
Ltd., 7/6 net). 
Gull, Black-headed (Pages 62-64). — This bird should really be 
called the Brown-headed Gull, the feathers of its head being dark 
brown, though in contrast to the white of the rest of its plumage 
appealing black ; or better still, the Common Gull, as it is this bird 
