Here belong—1. The =Jackdaw= (_C. monedula_), with relatively short beak and long tarsi. Black; side of the head and neck ashen grey. Breeds in holes in trees, chimneys, ruins, and towers. 2. The =Hooded Crow= (_G. cornix_); bright grey, except the head, throat, wings, and tail, which are black. Breeds in all parts of Europe east of the Elbe; occurs in Western Europe as a gipsy migrant in winter. 3. =Carrion Crow= (_C. corone_); black, beak stout and strongly bent at its end. Breeds in trees, but never (like the Rook) in large numbers together. 4. =Rook= (_C. frugilegus_); black, beak rather long; in adult specimens the head feathers are quite worn away at the base of the beak. 5. =Raven= (_C. corax_); much larger than the other species; black, beak very strong, strongly curved along its entire upper side. Nowhere in large numbers. [Illustration: FIG. 36.—Head of Rook (_Corvus frugilegus_). ] _Food, Benefit conferred, and Damage done._ Ravens, and sometimes even rooks, attack lambs and sick sheep, also ducks, geese, fowls, and pigeons. Carrion crows and hooded crows rarely attack our domestic animals. All crows, however, steal the eggs of our poultry. They also injure sport, since they kill hares and rabbits, young fawns, quails, pheasants, etc. They do a little good, however, by devouring field-voles, but, as a rule, only catch the sick ones which are not able to move quickly. They do harm by destroying useful insect-eating birds, also eating their eggs and young. But as insect-eaters, they are extremely useful; they devour cockchafers, wireworms, butterflies, surface caterpillars, crane flies and their larvæ, and field snails; also many earthworms. As to the vegetable part of their food, they devour, in the first place, germinating seeds; grain, peas, beans. They also pick grain from the ear, both when ripe and, to a larger extent, when still soft; and in doing this pull down the ear so as to crack the stalk, thus causing more damage than by the mere eating. They also plunder the ripening peas, and feast upon cherries, plums, apricots, and other juicy fruits; even potatoes and turnips. All crow-like birds do some harm and some good, only the raven (which eats scarcely any insects) is to be always reckoned as an enemy. The =Magpie= (_Pica caudata_) and =Jay= (_Garrulus glandarius_) are resident birds closely related to the crows. The first affects open tracts of land (fields, meadows, gardens) in the neighbourhood of large trees; the latter is a woodland bird. Both birds eat almost everything: grain, acorns, beechnuts, cherries, berries; cockchafers, wireworms, and similar insects; the eggs and young of useful insect-eating song-birds (such as titmice), also these little birds themselves, ducklings and chickens, young partridges, quails, pheasants, now and then field-voles. More harmful than useful. Group: =Conirostres= (_Conical_-_beaked Perching Birds_).