4 OBEY CROW.
order to be thoroughly appreciated, ua any description must fall sliort of the reality. Towards the latter end
of December 1 8 8 1 , 1 o b m t u d a party Of eight or ten or these hirds "mobbing" a I tough-legged Buzzard,
which was beating about over some rush-marshes in Norfolk. One or two would 11 y round, croaking as they
went, and, after two or three turns, settle at some short distance. Others would then take up the attack,
repeatedly dashing down, us if with the intention of striking, hut taking evidently especial care to keep at a
respectful distance. This style of warfare was eorried on for some twenty miuutes or half an hour, when the
Ruziard (who paid little or no attention to the noisy demonstrations of his assailants), having searched over
the marshes without success, flapped slowly off to a large oak, ami took up his position on one of the topmost
branches. After wheeling round, screaming and croaking loudly for several minutes, the dingy rubble broke
up, and departed in various directions ; three of then1 number, howe\ er, shortly returned and settled in the
outside bianehes of the same tree, at a distance of eight or ten feet from the Buzzard. It was difficult to
account [or their animosity, as Hawks (the Common and Hough-W^ed lbi//:n\ls, the various Harriers, and an
occasional wandering Peregrine) are by no means uncommon in the locality, and I have seldom noticed
the Crows to exhibit any excessive signs of displeasure at their presence. This particular bird, fur some
inexplicable cause-, ap|H'arcd to lie regarded as a s|n>eial object of hatred For all boor at least I hey continued to
give xent to a succession of the most discordant and unpleasant sounds I ever heard proceed from the throats of
any lb ing cleature- : to describe t In ill 1 am utterly unable. While so engaged, they ocea-iou, lb -tr< idled out
their necks, and assumed what I suppose was intended for a threatening attitude; they, however, confined
themselves to Ibis noisy manner of expressing their anger, and, haling at length apparently exhausted
themselves by their efforts, first one and then the remaining two (lew slowly back to the marshes, leaving the
Huzzanl in undisputed possi-ssiou of the situation. During the whole of the time he had been exposed to this
abusive outcry, he had remained without changing for a moment his |H)-itiou on the tree, or exhibiting the
slighte-t signs of annoyance, treating their clamour, iudecd, with utter contempt. For another hour or so
after their de|iarture he retained his perch, utterly regardless, as before, of an occasional visit, one or two
of his former assailants returning from lime to time and after circling once or twice round the tree, again
beating a retreat.
I lie sea-shore I have noticed these birds harassing and attacking any stranger that made hi- appearance,
weary and worn out by the force of the autuinnnl gales. In the latter end of October 1^7'J, I observed several
I'oinerine Skuas drifting lie to re a strong lh-easterly breeze along tin con-t. Occasionally they would settle
on the sandbanks a few yards distant from the breakers; but in not a single instance were they permitted to
rest above a monirnt or two, as a parly of Crows would swoop doivu on them at once, and, • Ufa threatening
screams, compel them to move on. The squalls of rain and lulsl obscured the view beyond the distance of a
few hundred yards, or, I conclude, I must have seen some of the poor wanderers (who were evidently c.xliausted
by the hutfeting of the storm] struck dow n and killed by their numerous ossnllants.
I have frequently come across Grey Crows feeding on the refuse, dirud fish and other garbage, that is
carried from the mouths of harbours or rivers by the ebb-tide. They will occasionally follow the (bating filth
a considerable distance at sea, hovering over the water, and stooping down and seizing in their beaks any
tempting morsel as it bobs up and down in the current. At such times they are often seen in company of
Gulls—Lesser Rlaekboeks and Herring-Gulls in immature plumage, and numbers of Common Gulls iu all
stages. The Crows arc by no means backward in plundering these unfortunate birds when they may have
secured any particularli inviting fragment. I have watched as many as forty or fifty or these robbers engaged
in this manner nt once While seeking ihcir food in this somewhat unusual fashion, 1 have but little doubt
that they may have been at times mistaken for Skua Gulls. Early in November 1*70, a week or so after the
disastrous October gales had driven large Uighls of Skuas to uur shores, 1 met with a couple of gentlemen on
the hi-nch near Yarmouth, evidently greatly interested by witnessing a seure or two of Crows feeding in the
GREY CROW.
tideway iu the roads. Under the impression that the birds attracting Ibeir attention were a party or Skuas,
they were closely studying their manner of procuring prey; and the voracity with which the whale rabble rout
contended with the luuiirry sea-fowl allorded them every opportunity of gratifying their curiosity. The ferocity
with which one or two Crows just then attacked a Gull that had picked up a heavy mouthful of olfal, which it
vainly attempted to make off with, was certainly mi-leading to any one who had never had a chance of
observing the habits of the various species of Skua Gulls in a wild state
For breeding-purposes this species resorts to trees, ledgos, and cavities in the fuee of precipitous rocks,
and clitl's in the vicinity of the sea-coast. In some exposed districts on the ah-wesl of Scotland, and also on
several of the Islands on inland lochs, I have come across their nesls iu bushes uf birch and stunted llr, at the
height of only a lew feet from the ground; at limns, however, they will make use of almost the highest tree
in some, dense forest. The compos it ion of the uest varies according to the materials within reach of the
architect?,—twigs and branches of trees in woodland districts, and roots and stalks of heather hi the more Open
localities. The lining consists of wool, moss, and grass.
The Plate shows an adult male and a uest. It is takeu from a rough sketch made on oue of the barren
and uninhabilisl islands off the west coast of Scotland. This uest was entirely constructed of blenched and
weatherbeaten stalks of heather, finer tw igS being used for tin1 formation of the interior and the binding down
of the upper portion. The lining was composed of sheep's.wool, while lichens, and strips or strands of hark.
Whether this latter material had been torn from large coarse heather-stalks or stunted birch bushes, I was
unable to decide. The interior was a most elaborately worked-up cup-shaped cradle, six and a half inches deep
by seven inches in diameter tit the upper rim of the nest.
This species is kuown in various localities by several different titles. Throughout the Highlands it is
commonly styled the " Hoodie;'' in the Midland counties and on the south coast I have heard it spokeu uf as
the " Grey," " Saddleback," " Roys ton," or " Norwegian Crow ; " while by many of the Norfolk punl-iruuucrs
it is named the •' Kentish Crow : " the more familiar term, however, for the bird (when conversing among
themselves) would be an "Old Kentish man." Over a somewhat limited district within a few mites of
Huntingdon this species is known among the natives as •• Potter Brown's Crow."