THE WESTERN CROW. n 



seems that one old fellow was not satisfied, for as I ventured to shift 

 ever so little from my strained position, he set up a derisive Ca-a-a-azv 

 from a branch over my head. — as who should say. "Aw. ye can't fool me. 

 Y're just a ma-a-an." and flapped away in disgust. 



Crows attempt certain nuisical notes as well ; and. unless I mistake, the 

 western bird has attained much greater proficiency in these. These notes are 

 deeplv guttural, and evidently entail considerable effort on the bird's part. 

 Huiiger-o-opc. hungcr-u-upc, one sa_\-s ; and it occurs to me that this is allied 

 to the delarv, delary, or springboard cry. nf the Blue Jay (Cyaiiocitta cris- 

 tata), — plunging notes they ha\e also been called. 



Space fails in which to describe the elaborate structure of Crow society ; 

 to tell of the military and pedagogical systems which they enforce: of the 

 courts of justice and penal institutidus which they maintain: nf the vigilantes 

 who visit vengeance upon evil-minded owls and other otTenders ; or even of the 

 games which thev play. — tag, hide and seek, blind-man's-buff and pull-away. 

 These things are sufficiently attested by competent observers: we may only 

 spare a word for that most serious business of life, nesting. 



A typical Crow's nest is a very substantial aft'air. as our illustration shows. 

 Upon a basis of coarse sticks, a mat of dried leaves, grasses, bark-strips, and 

 dirt, or mud. is impressed. The deep rounded bowl thus formed is carefully 

 lined with the inner bark of the willow or with twine, horse-hair, cow-hair, 

 rabbit-fur. wool, or any other soft substance available. When cnmpleted the 

 nesting hollow is seven or eight inches across and three or four deep. The 

 expression "Crow's nest." as used to indicate disarray, really arises from the 

 consideration of old nests. Since the Ijirds resort to the same locality year 

 after year, but never use an old nest, the neighboring structures of successive 

 years come to represent e\'ery stage of dilapidation. 



West of the mountains nests are almost invariably placed well up in fir 

 trees, hard against the trunk, and so escape the common observation. Upon 

 the East-side, however, nests are usually placed in aspen trees or willows : in 

 the former case occurring at heights up to fifty feet, in the latter from ten to 

 twenty feet up. Escape by mere elevation being practically impossible, the 

 Crows resoTt more or less to out-of-the-way places, — spring draws, river 

 islands, and swampy thickets. 



Notwithstanding the fact that the spring season opens much earlier than 

 in the East, the Crows, true to the traditions of a northern latitude, comnnjuly 

 defer nesting till late in April. Fresh eggs may be found by the 20th of April, 

 but more surely on the ist of May. Incubation lasts -from fourteen to eighteen 

 days ; and the voung, commonly five but sometimes six in number, are born 

 naked and blind. 



It is when the Crow children are hatched that Nature begins to groan. It 

 is then that birds' eggs are quoted by the crate ; and beetles by the hecatomb 



