Western Raven 291 



long before the snow is off the ground. But that it is 

 so, appears to be the fact, as Warren tells me he has 

 seen fully- fledged young ones with their parents on May 

 21st, in Gunnison co., while the typical form of the 

 Canadian Jay of the eastern states is an equally early 

 breeder. 



Genus CORVUS. 



Large birds with the wings over 10 inches ; bill very stout and strong, 

 with arched culmen ; nostrils concealed by the forwardly directed 

 nasal plumes, which cover at least the basal third of the bill ; no crest ; 

 wing long and pointed, far exceeding the tail in length ; the four outer- 

 most primaries sinuated on the inner web ; tail short and slightly 

 rounded ; prevailing colour of the plumage black. 



This genus, containing the Ravens, Crows and Rooks, is spread over 

 the greater part of the world. There are five species in North America, 

 three of which are found in Colorado ; these are distinguished as follows : 



A. Feathers of the throat elongate and lanceolate. 



a. Largest (wing over 14) ; bases of the nape-feathers grey. 



C. corax sinuatus, p. 291. 



b. Smaller (wing 12 — 14); feathers of the nape, upper-back 



and breast with concealed white bases. 



C. cryptoleucus, p. 293. 



B. Feathers of the throat normal ; smallest (wing generally less 



than 12) ; no white bases to the nape-feathers. 



C. brachyrhynchos hesperis, p 294. 



Western Raven. Corvus corax sinuatus. 



A.O.U. Checklist no 486— Colorado Records— Pike 10, vol. ii., p. 459 

 (in Coues' ed.) ; Baird 54, p. 14 (Corvus carnivorus) ; Allen 72, pp. 150, 

 157 ; Scott 79, p. 94 ; Drew 81, p. 139 ; 85 p. 16 ; Morrison 88, p. 107 ; 

 89, p. 147 ; Kellogg 90, p. 90 ; Lowe 94, p. 268 ; Cooke 97, pp. 91, 210 ; 

 Oilman 07, p. 155 ; Rockwell 08, p. 168 ; Warren 08, p. 22 ; 09, p. 15. 



Description. — Adult — Plumage throughout black with a violet and 

 blueish metallic gloss on most parts ; feathers of the throat elongate, 

 lanceolate and somewhat outstanding ; bases of the nape-feathers 

 grey, but never white. Length 21 ; wing 15-5 ; tail 9-25 ; culmen 

 2-55 ; tarsus 2-50. 



The measurements are those of a small female ; a male is a good deal 

 larger — length 25-5, wing 16-75, according to Ridgway. 



Distribution. — The Western or Mexican Raven is found throughout 

 the western United States, southwards over the Mexican plateau to 

 northern Honduras. It replaces the northern Raven {Corvus corax 



u 2 



