17 



Height. — The distance from the ground at which the nest is placed, 

 varies from four to over one hundred feet. Where the birds are unmolest- 

 ed, they build remarkably near the ground for so large and naturally sus- 

 picious a bird. Where they are persecuted and continually hunted, the 

 instinct of self-preservation, with which they are most certainly highly 

 endowed, prompts them to build in practically inaccessible trees, in many 

 cases. Such trees as shellbark hickory, sycamore, large crooked black 

 oaks, trees over-looking precipices or deep water, are often very difificult 

 to climb, and the Crows often build their nests at a great height in these 

 trees. Where the bird chooses an uninhabited island, an unfrequented 

 swamp or the deep woods for breeding purposes, the nest is usually placed 

 much nearer the ground than it would otherwise be. On the whole, man- 

 kind exercises more influence over this than is generally known. The 

 average height throughout the country is about forty-five feet Minne- 

 sota. North Dakota, Manitoba are but thinly settled, and the average 

 height from the ground is found to be only twenty feet. The soil of the 

 Eastern states is in a high state of cultivation, and the New England 

 farmer looks with an unkindly eye at the depredations of this black- 

 feathered bird. His search for food is interpretated as a raid which must 

 be resisted by force of arms ; hence the bird becomes shyer and builds as 

 high up as it is possible to do. The data before me gives an average of 

 sixty feet above the ground. 



CoNSTRLCTioN. — Mr. Lyuds Jones, Oberlin, Ohio, says; "The time 



taken in building the nest varies with the weather, and that is seldom 



constant in March or April. I have known a nest to have been begun and 



completed within a week, in fair weather But the birds are not constantly 



at work ; theirs' is a very short working day of not over four hours. In 



bad weather I have known a nest to be three weeks in building." The 



following interesting table has been deducted from the verv full notes 



furnished me by Mr. Harvey C. Campbell, Lansingburg, N. Y. It is to be 



understood that in the dates given for second sets, in all cases where the 



eggs were incubated, allowance has been made to give the dates t)f fresh 



and completed sets. W^ith numbers i. 3, and 4 the act iia! d-nies on which 



they were taken are given, and it is by no means certain that the last egg 



was deposited on these dates; quite probable a day had intervened. 



.MO. n.A. 



,.T \ ist set. April ig / , 



No. I. - J ^ A/T r 1 5 davs. 



i 2nd set. Mav 4 ^ 



.., \ ist set. .\pril 17 / , 



No. 2. - , , ,T ,- 14 davs. 



2nd set, Mav i ^ 



No. 3. 



\ ist set. April 17 t 

 ) 2nd set. Mav r \ 



