12 



THE MUSEUM. 



seem to have diminished both in num- 

 ber of roosts and individual birds 

 composing them. South west of this 

 city there is quite a large roost, some 

 members of which (400 or more by 

 actual count) pass daily over the city 

 to the Missouri river banks and sand 

 bars, where they glean the refuse and 

 debris washed ashore from the city. 

 They congregate in November and dis- 

 perse upon the breaking up of the 

 Winter frysts. As the season advances, 

 a half dozen or less may be seen in 

 some pasture or marshy place, where 

 tne grass is short, feeding on all kinds 

 of insects and their larve, Crustacea, 

 and in fact all animal life too weak to 

 resist or avoid their rapacity. For 

 several seasons past a flock has fre- 

 quented a marshy pasture, close to the 

 public road near to the river. Among 

 them could plainly be seen a pure 

 white specimen, So often was it seen, 

 that it became a matter of publication 

 in our daily papers. Many attempts 

 were made to secure this "White 

 Crow" but none were successful, as the 

 wary cunning of the "Black Crow" 

 was predominant." 



Lynds Jones, Oberlin, Ohio. — "In 

 Ohio the Crow is the terror of the 

 corn field, and has been hunted until 

 there is no getting near him. It is not 

 strange if his ntsting habits should 

 conform to his general habit of watch- 

 fulness. Nests are often one hun- 

 dred feet up in some such tree as shel- 

 bark hickory. I have never found a 

 nest that could be reached without 

 irons. In Iowa, the Crow is not an 

 enemy to agriculture, and so is not 

 hunted to any considerable extent, but 

 he is nevertheless wary and not easily 

 taken. Flocks are usually composed 

 of less than ten individuals, but I have 



seen hundreds of Crows gathered to- 

 gether seemingly for some special pur- 

 pose. There is always a prodigious 

 cawing and much changing of position 

 among the individuals at such a time; 

 but when the flock rises, it disperses 

 in all directions and apparently never 

 comes together again, unless at some 

 other rendezvous. It may be simply a 

 coincidence, but the flocks that have 

 come my way have appeared about 

 noon on an early Spring day. For so 

 large a bird, its nest is remarkably 

 near tbe ground. I have found many 

 not over ten feet up in a thorn bush or 

 scrubby oak." 



Arthur H. Norton, Westbrook, Me. 

 — "My observation on the nesting 

 habits of the Crow have been made 

 from Rockland to Portland, Maine, in 

 several localities, but no where more 

 than ten miles from the coast. Near 

 Rockland, especially on the small 

 islands of West Penobscot bay, and 

 also the islands of a portion of Casco 

 bay; the most constant features of the 

 landscape are the dwarfed-spruce 

 woods; but as we retire from the tide 

 mark, on the mainland, we find a 

 diversity of pine, oak, beech, etc., af- 

 fording the bird a choice of nesting 

 places. The nests that have come un- 

 der my observation have invariably 

 been placed in species of evergreen 

 trees. The Crows have a habit which 

 seems to be constant, when their nest 

 is nearly completed, of calling in the 

 low. imperfect voice of their young, as 

 we hear them in July. By this means, 

 I have located most of the nests that 

 I have examined." [Another observer 

 from the same state makes note of 

 this. Can it be a peculiarity of the 

 Maine bird alone.' — F. L. B.] "While 

 common throughout the belt, it does 



