CROWS AND JAVS 



227 



tliaii tlir licad of his family and decidedly darker 

 in coloration. 



The Oregon Jay (Pcrisorcus obsciints ohscii- 

 rtis and his variant form, the (Iray Jay (Periso- 

 rciis obscitnis yriscus), look like Canada Jays, 

 with the wrong color of plumage. The Oregon 

 [av has brown upper parts and dull white under 

 parts and the Gray Jay has deep mouse-gray 



upjjcr parts and grayish-white under parts. The 

 Oregon Jay lives in the Pacific coast district 

 from southwestern British Columbia to northern 

 California. The Cray Jay is found in the interior 

 districts of northern California north through 

 central Oregon and Washington to I'ritish Co- 

 lumbia. Both are familiarly known as " Camp 

 Robbers." 



RAVEN 

 Corvus corax sinuatus U'agler 



A. O. V. Number 486 See Color I'late 71 



Other Name. — Mexican Raven. 



General Description. — Length, 26K> inches. Plum- 

 age. black. Wing, long and pointed ; tail, much shorter 

 than wing; bill, compressed, and higher than broad; 

 feet, stout. 



Color. — Entire plumage, deep glossy black ; the 

 wing-coverts, secondaries, iimermost primaries and 

 tail, glossed with violet: primary-coverts and longer 

 and outermost primaries, glossed with bluish or 

 greenish ; under parts glossed with blue or greenish- 

 blue ; iris, deep brown. 



Nest and Eggs. — Nest ; Located almost invariably 

 on a ledge of inaccessible cliflfs ; constructed of large 

 sticks well interlaced, the interior well lined with 

 coarse grass, bark strips, wool, and, in maritime sites, 

 with seaweed; the birds are strongly attached to the 

 site, returning year after year. Eggs: 5 to 7, green, 

 olive, drab, profusely spotted and blotched with browns, 

 olive, and lavender. 



Distribution. — Oregon, Montana, and South Dakota, 

 south to Honduras and east probably to Missouri, 

 Illinois, and Indiana. 



At a distance the Raven looks much like a 

 large Crow, but a closer inspection will reveal 

 certain marked differences. It is decidedly a 

 larger bird and its deep, harsh notes once heard 

 can never be mistaken for the caw of the Crow. 



Ravens breed much in the deep forests of the 

 northwest. On the sagebrush deserts of eastern 

 Oregon their nests are placed among the cliiifs 

 of the " rim rocks." Though not distinctly gre- 

 garious, in the breeding season certain favorite 



Drawing by R. I. Brasher 



Vol. II — 16 



RAVEN (J nat. size) 

 A larger brother to the Crow 



