46 THE BIRDS OF NEW JERSEY. 



ous ranges farther inland. Its plumage is of a dull red, 

 brighter on the rump and darker on the back; the wings 

 and tail are of dark slate, the tail being edged with 

 red. The female is a little smaller and of a greenish 

 color; the wings and tail brownish black, edged with 

 green. The bills of both are crossed at the end, this ap- 

 parent malformation being made good use of in securing 

 the seeds from the cones of the pine trees, the j^rincipal 

 food of the bird. Its nest is made of twigs and grasses, 

 lined with small roots and plant fibre. The eggs are three 

 or four in number, of a pale green with brown spots, 

 three-fourths by four-fifths of an inch in size. 



Crow. — Length, eighteen and one-half inches ; extent, 

 three feet and two inches ; bill, two inches. The general 

 color is a shining, glossy, blue black with purplish reflec- 

 tions ; the throat and lower parts are less glossy ; 

 the bill is two and a quarter inches long, very strong, 

 and covered at the base with thick tufts of re- 

 cumbent feathers. The female differs very slight- 

 ly from the male, being more dull colored and rather de- 

 ficient in the glossy and purplish tints and reflections. 



The nests are found in trees about thirty feet from the 

 ground, evergreen trees being preferred. The nests are 

 bulky structures of sticks, lined with strips of bark, moss 

 or hair. Mating begins in March and extends through 

 April and May. The eggs are from four to six in number, 

 one and three-fifths by one and one-fifth inches in size. 

 The color is a blue green, mottled w4th shades of brown. 



The Crows breed and are distributed over the whole of 

 North America. In -winter they desert New England, 

 their migrations as a rule, however, being very limited 

 and generally only for the purpose of securing a better 

 supply of food. 



The call note of the bird is a caw, in the spring a 

 quavering kar-r-er. 



Whether the crow is a harmful bird or whether its 



