NORTH AMERICAN BIRDS. 265 



almost covered with these Jays ; they would alight on his back, head 

 and shoulders, and there tug and pull at each loose shred of his coat 

 as if assisting him in all ways possible. 



On March 31, 1884, he took a nest with five eggs, the first, proba- 

 bly, ever taken. The nest was placed about eighty-five feet from the 

 ground, in a fir, and well concealed. It was built close against the 

 trunk, and was composed of sticks, twigs and moss, rather loosely put 

 together, lined with cow-hair, wool, and one or two grouse feathers. 

 The eggs were very light blue, with a grayish cast, thickly covered 

 with spots of brown and lilac, chiefly on the larger ends. In one spec- 

 imen were a few black, hair-like lines over the larger end. Size, 

 1.04 x. 79. 



486. Corvus corax sinuatus (WAGL.) [280.] 



Mexican Raven.' 1 ' 



Hab. Western United States and south to Guatemala. (Ridgw.) 



An inhabitant of the regions west of the Mississippi, where it is 

 common. A set of this bird's eggs, four in number (oological collec- 

 tion of J. Parker Norris), was taken April 12, 1888, in San Jacinto 

 valley, California. The nest was placed in the crevice of a large rock, 

 and was an old one, it having been in use for many years. It was 

 composed of sticks, hair, etc. The eggs are pale bluish-green, spotted 

 and dashed with olive. They measure 1.90x1.24, 1.94x1.25, 1.92 x 

 1.22, I.84X 1. 21. 



* * Corvus corax principalis RIDGW. 



Northern Raven, t 



Hab. Northern North America, from Greenland to Alaska, south to British Columbia, Canada, New 

 Brunswick, etc. (Ridgw.) 



In former years the Raven appears to have been not uncommon 

 in the northern New England States, but is now considered very rare, 

 and late records of its occurrence there are very few. It breeds occa- 

 sionally on the cliffs of the island of Grand Manan, and more fre- 

 quently farther east, as in New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Newfound- 

 land, etc. It is rather a common resident along the whole coast of 

 Labrador. Forest-clad cliffs of great rivers, the crags of lonely islands 

 in the ocean, wooded lakes and streams in solitary regions are the 

 haunts of this sable-plumed, ominous bird. 



The Rev. J. H. Langille states that in Nova Scotia nesting begins 

 early in March. The site chosen for the nest is usually the most inac- 

 cessible tree or rocky cliff; sometimes, however, it is built in the flat- 

 topped, low spruces, as is the case on Mud and Seal Islands, on the 



* No. 486 is called American Raven in the A. O. U. Check List. 



t A new sub-species, with larger bill, etc., than Corvus corax sinuatus see Ridgway's Manual N. A. 

 Birds, p. 361. 



