I IO 
THE CARRION CROW : 
“Time’s glory is to calm contending Kings, .... 
To fill with worm-holes stately monuments, . . . 
To pluck the quills from ancient ravens’ wings.” 
Literece. 
Next to the raven, the Carrion-Crow (Corvus corone ) 
claims our attention, from his close relationship to his 
larger congener. So closely, indeed, does he resemble the 
raven upon a slightly modified scale, that we might also 
fancy him— 
“ A crow of the same nest.” 
All's Well that Ends Well , Act iv. Sc. 3. 
Like him, he leads a predatory life, carrying off young- 
game-birds, chickens, and eggs ; and where he cannot 
obtain a fresh meal, he has no objection to carrion and 
offal of all kinds. Should a sheep die in the field, the 
crows of the neighbourhood are sure to be attracted to it. 
“ The fold stands empty in the drowned field, 
And crows are fatted with the murrain flock.” 
Midsummer Night's Dream , Act. ii. Sc. 1. 
Gamekeepers, knowing this propensity, and having an 
eye to the better preservation of pheasants’ eggs for the 
future, avail themselves of the opportunity, when a sheep 
dies, to place a little strychnine in the mouth and eyes, 
and on a second visit they are seldom disappointed in 
finding two or three dead crows. 
