ter, from the diftance of three or four miles round, and 
whence they again Tally out in the morning in queft of 
Tubfi(fence. Towards the end of winter, which is the 
feafon of their amours, they difappear in the plains, and 
retire into the larged woods, where they form into pairs, 
and feem to divide their territory into diftricls of about 
a quarter of a league in diameter, each of which main¬ 
tains its feparate.family. It is faid that this connection 
fubfifts inviolate during the reft of their life ; and it is 
even alleged that, if one of the couple happen to die, 
the furvivor will never enter into another union. The 
female is difti'nguifiled by her plumage, which is of in¬ 
ferior luftre. She lays five or fix eggs, and fits about 
three weeks, during which time the male fuppiies her 
with food. 
When buzzards or keftrels approach the neft, the pa¬ 
rents unite to attack them. They alfo fight with the 
iparrow hawk; but thefe, though (mailer, are fo bold 
as often to prove victorious, drive them from the neft, 
and plunder the young. Like the raven, the crow can 
be taught to (peak ; it is alfo omnivorous ; infedfs, 
worms, eggs, fish, grain, fruits, every thing, in (liort, is 
fuited to its voracity. It breaks (liell-fifli by dropping 
them from a height; it vifits (hares and gins, and (hares 
the plunder. It attacks (mall game when exhaufted or 
wounded, which in Come countries has occafioned its be¬ 
ing trained'to falconry ; but, in its turn, it becomes the 
prey of a more powerful enemy, fuch as the kite, the 
eagle, horned owl, &c. Its weight is ten or twelve 
ounces ; it has twelve tail-feathers, all equal, and twenty 
in each wing, of which the firftis the (horteft, and the 
fourth the longed: ; its wings (bread three feet ; the 
apertures of the nolirils is round, covered with bridles 
projecting forward ; the general call of its plumage is a 
fine violet black, with fome black (pecks round the eye¬ 
lids ; the outer toe of each foot is united to that of the 
middle at the (irft joint; the tongue is forked, and (len¬ 
der ; the ventricle fomewhat mufeular ; the bottom of 
the feathers, or part which is concealed, is of a deep 
aflt-colour. In general, though the flight of the.carrion 
crows be neither eafy nor rapid, they mount to a very 
great height, where they fupport themfelves long, and 
•whirl much. 
This fpecies, like the raven, is fubjeCt to vary in its 
plumage ; hence there are two varieties ; one variegated 
with black and white, found in the ifland of Ferro ; the 
other wholly white, found in fome parts of Silefia and 
Iceland, But all feem to have the fame inftinCTs, and 
-are therefore mere varieties of the carrion crow. Frifch 
fay 1 ;, that he once law a flock of fwallows travelling 
with a troop of variegated crows in the fame direction. 
He adds, that thefe pafs the fummer on the coafts of the 
ocean, fubfifting on what the waves call a-fnore ; that in 
autumn they migrate to the fouth, never in large bodies, 
but in fmall divisions, at certain intervals from each other. 
It is very probable that the crows of the Maldivas, men¬ 
tioned by Pyrard, are of the fame kind ; fince that tra¬ 
veller, who faw them very diftindtly, remarks no dif¬ 
ference. They feem to be more familiar and bolder 
than ours; for they entered houfes to pick up whatever 
fuited them, and the prefence of man did not difeompofe 
them. This fpecies is not fo widely fpread as the raven. 
They are found in New Holland and New Guinea ; and, 
according to our late voyagers, in New Caledonia. Though 
there are many in France, England, and fome parts of 
Germany, yet they are fcarce in the north of Europe. 
They are rare in Pruffia; and very uncommon in Swe¬ 
den, fince not even the name occurs in. the enumeration 
which Linnaeus has given'of the birds of that country. 
They are not to be found in the Antilles; but are very 
common in Madeira and Louifiana. Vaillant never could 
meet with the carrion crow in Africa ; and it is un¬ 
known in Canada. It is called in Greek, ^sjb, which 
name was alfo applied to the prow of a (hip, from the re- 
femblanee to the enow’s beak ; in modern Greek, 
4 
*»£«**, xoftS*; in Cha'idaic, kurka; in Italian; coteice, 
cornacchia, cornacchio, gracchia ; in Spanifti, ccrneia ; in 
German, krfte ; whence'the Englifh name. 
6. Corvus albicoliis, the white-necked African crow. 
This is one of the birds of Vaillant, who found it very 
plentiful at the Cape, from the town even to the rhoft 
diftant fettlements ; and it probably inhabits the greateft 
part of Africa. Vaillant fays it is more numerous than 
all the other fpecies, from Falfe-bay to the Great Nama- 
quois on the one fide, and to Caffraria on the other. 
There is not a horde or a habitation belonging to the 
favages, where they are not as it were doniefticated and 
familiar: they come to the very door of the daughter- 
houfes in Cape-town, and unite with the collared raven 
in devouring carcafes or offal. The colonifis call it 
honl>-kraa.i, the fpotted or variegated crow, becaule the 
plumage is regularly marked with black and white, 
which are its only colours. The white forms a kind of 
fcapuiary, or covering for the (houlders, extending in 
front to the lower part of the fternum or breaft-bone, 
only covering the neck behind, for the head is entirely 
black, as is the throat and the front of the neck. The 
reft of the plumage is entirely black; the fcapularies 
and wing-quills have a bluifh violet luftre. The tail is 
rounded, and the wings extend more than three parts of 
its length; the eyes are hazel-colour; the bill, feet, 
and nails, black. The female is (mailer than the male ; 
the black not fo (Tuning, and the white duller, and does- 
not reach fo far downwards. Thefe birds build their 
neft in trees, or tire moft leafy coverts : the eggs are five 
or fix in number,-of a pale green fpotted with brown. 
Like the collared raven it perches on the backs of the 
buffalos and other large beads, and devours the infects 
that torment them. Vaillant fays he was often indebted 
to thefe birds for preferving the lives of his draft-oxen, 
which nntft otherwife have periihed miferably. Tire 
Hottentots of the Cape hold thefe birds in great efteem., 
for the lervices they thus render. 
7. Corvus Dauricus, the Daurian crow : length twelve 
inches ; bill black ; head and throat black, gloffed with 
violet blue ; the neck and bread white ; the reft of the 
body, wings, and tail, blue black; legs lead-colour. 
Dr. Pallas fays thefe birds come early in the fpring in 
great flights from China, and tire fouthern Monguls 
country, into the parts about the lake Baikal, but moll 
frequent about the towns and villages on the river Lena. 
They are alfo found in Perfia, in Senegal, and in the 
ifland of Johanna, where they live chiefly on infe'CTs and 
fruits, and make their nefts in trees. This, and the pre¬ 
ceding, are very probably varieties of the fame bird. 
8. Corvus cornix, the hooded crow. This bird is ea- 
fily diftinguslhed from the carrion crow by the colour of 
its plumage. Its head, tail, and wipgs, are of a fine 
black, with bluifh reflections; it is marked with a fort 
of fcapuiary of a greyifh white, which extends both 
ways, from the (houlders to the extremity of the body. 
On account of this appearance it has been called by the 
Italians, monacchia, or run, and mantled crow'oy the.French, 
Tn England it is called the Rcyjion crow. It affociates in 
numerous flocks, like the rook, and is alike familiar with 
man, preferring, efpecially in winter, the vicinity of 
farms and hamlets, and picking up its food in kennels 
and dunghills. Like the rook, the hooded crows change 
their abode twice a-year, and may perhaps be conlidertd 
as birds of paflage ; for we annually perceive immenfe 
flocks arrive near the middle of autumn, and depart 
about the beginning of fpring, thaping their courfe to¬ 
wards the north. In Scotland they remain the whole 
year, and build their nefts in the Shetland ifles. In 
Sweden they neftle in the woods, efpecially among the 
alders, and lay commonly five or fix eggs; but they ne¬ 
ver fettle in the mountains of Swifferland or Italy. Ac¬ 
cording to moft naturalifts, it lives on every fort of food, 
worms, infefts, fifli, and putrid flefh ; and though thefe 
facts would rank it among the omnivorous tribe, yet as 
feeds 
