more than two axe seldom séen' together,. ufilisf1 -assembled
over a carcase.
The partiality of this speciés_to animal diet has=<ÉÉ*sè11kfktö
be called "Flesh-Grow and"Gor CrOW,: or GorefcCrow ;^'a'nd in
those countries where -large flocks of ‘ëheejï Jlare‘ »maintained,
the Crow is a , lurking and dangerous, enemy, ” T-he'y '$f|e
mostly in woods,- -or in wooded »countries,* taèin'g^'MtIrMte
flights in search oF'food; "while theinjpov^êr bJhvilmn,’ and the
elevation at which they" pröéeed,1 alford thei^^, wi^de^fiëM^f
view. 'They;|estroy weak lam'bs and small q u a d r^ j^ l^ ^ u p h
:-®a leverets, a n i young- rabllrfc$,—and the pftffigk
thered gaine* and poultry f ,:’they hawjbeien -Weeh^fO^kfll
pigeons»* “ A Carrion Grow was "*ófeèrved^ fS^steial ^'v^teig
duck, which* it pounced upon while in apénd/liÉjl carried^it
off in his bill. The Crow did- not' drop the d u c fc^C rd e r
to kill it, but laid it down on thd- gïouiid; walking'backwards
and forwards,- and treading upon i t until iMvS|^ad|-vr1ren%'
was takén to the nest?-* A nother bBserVer statek"thS®while
looking at “ an old- sparrow enfelihgkfortli ïlS young oiletpa
Crow pounced upon it, 'held it between its daws, „arid instantly
tore itih ^ itc ê ^ a s ^ o u ld a bird of prey, W h e n c e
meal was completed, it began its hoarse'notej and flew%^rn
search of further, food.” On ’the -cdast the Cröw picks the
soft parts out of dead shell fish, or eats- such ot&r ’-Wfuse as'
it can find. In dëfaulVof any sort n f animal matter, which
it appears greatly to prefer^-it will feed ortxgfaih, or potatoes,
and sometimes on green walnuts'."' It fs?'Observed, like'the-
Raven," and other birds of this'family,-to hide superfluous-
food.
The Crow is an early breeder, like the other species. oFthe
genuS Cörvus, beginning to build or'repair its 'tfosk ’In the
month of February. The nest is generally placedan a forked
branch of a free;’ the outside is framed of sticks andrktwigs;
with a plen ti ful' lining • éf>woól and hairj'- o r other -soft rnater
ial i thè éggs ate jisually^four or five in number, of a pale
bluish:/gieei%4p.oltf||midapeckled with two shades of ash
colour .and b row n th e length of the egg.one-inch eight
lines;;, brjj^jpe inch „two Jin^s-in breadth* -The male; feeds the>
jeqaaLe» ’^j^ga&he:regions,upon the eggs, .and. both defend
their. Jgii^g^jwith .great „ courage against' birds much larger
than t^heapiie]1^ ^ *A c c o rd in g kto Mr. Macgdlivray, the
fickle. ;be lfill^ .tfe fem a le soon J # s another mate. In' coun-
•tri^y^ef^-fhej Carrion Crpw is (n;ot . numerous, it has_;been
.kpown to,pair.^ith ;the Hooded^Cro.w; -atidsqpié instances of
gthis; .aödï.Qi^omé other.,birds afs.0, .that in a wijd skate have
knowri to pair with birds that were not .'of their own
species,,wilt, be noticed (jp^,the history o f H o o d e d Crow,
- whichaym|®a#d:iak ejy-f oil© ws. .,
The Cariion Crow is.Toundr^throughout,England. In Ireland,
Mr. Thompspntinforms fed, 4t "frequents thè sea -coast
rtchiefiy through the northern parts. In Scotland it is also
A d i m i n i she^ , in number as you. approach .the
north ern-jextremity. Miiller. includes the C. corone in the
Bijds^of Denmark ,|>P-t M. ‘.Nilsson says ity/is rare in Sweden,
and according „to Oedman it ■ floes, not .gp^p^khe northward of
NprdkopiU., It tis found in Norway, on the Faroe Islands,
and at Iceland,’ , The Crow|©f .the United States of America
i§,, a different species.
Southward in Europe, it is found in Germany, France,
Spain, Provence, and Ita ly ; inhabiting the-woods from
spring to autumn, and. the plains from autumn through the
winter to spring. According® M. Temminck it is.found
in the Morea. A Russian Naturalist,, whose name has been
already quoted,-. hasf; included it. as inhabiting the . country
south of the Caucasian range, between the Black and the
Caspian Seas. M. Temminck says it is also found in Japan.
The beak of this bird is black, the nostrils and basal third
covered by feathers directed forwards; irides dark brown; the