1913 BIRDS OF THE FRESNO DISTRICT 67 



Fresno. Along the Kings and San Joaquin rivers it seems to be most frequently 

 observed ; and it is resident there, as Mr. Chas. E. Jenney informs me that he 

 has found several nests with eggs in the vicinit}- of Lane's Bridge. 



I have often observed this species in March and A]:)ril along the river, where 

 they sometimes congregate in flocks of as many as thirty. Most often, however, 

 they are to be seen as single individuals, pairs, or squads of four or five, flying 

 out to some marshy place where they feed along the edge of the water, taking 

 turn at watching from fence posts or tree tops. Occasionally one will fly out of 

 the river bottom to spend part of the day catching grasshoppers on the dry, hog- 

 wallow land adjacent to the river. As these birds come and go at any time, one 

 is sure to see a Crow tacking along near the knolls at almost any hour of the day. 

 Early in the morning, and again before sundown, the black host assembles in the 

 willows, preferably on some small island, where they caw, scold, and talk in 

 animated tones. If some large hawk or heron appears two or three Crows al- 

 ways start in pursuit, and the large slow-flying birds must lead a rather strenuous 

 existence when their lot is cast near the trysting place of a flock of Crows. 



I have been much interested in wdiat appears to be a sort of local migration 

 that occurs in spring and fall, when Crows fly from the Sierras toward the Coast 

 Range and vice versa. From February 9, to April 23, 1903, I saw numbers of 

 Crows flying toward the southwest, passing near Clovis. December 19 of the 

 same year one individual was observed flying in the opposite direction. All these 

 birds are rather noisy, calling "h'waw, h'waw, h'waw", thrice repeated, or the 

 note "caw", which is generally given five times in rapid succession, with a scarce- 

 ly perceptible pause between the third and fourth. 



March 5, 1906, opened with a raw, cold morning and a strong southeast wind 

 blowing. While watching a flight of Turkey Vultures 1 heard the notes of a 

 Crow, faintly at first but becoming more distinct. After a short time the call 

 ceased to become any louder and then another was added. The one bird, which 

 I occasionally saw diving down and then rising to about the height of the tree 

 tops, was very noisy and continually uttered the note "cah'" in a rather high- 

 pitched, wiry voice. It was generally repeated five times, but once it was heard 

 eight times in rapid succession. The other bird was evidently on the ground, 

 and the first one seemed to be attacking it. I never had even a glimpse of this 

 individual although its call was given almost as frequently as that of the other. 

 It was a harsh, grating "car-r", generally repeated three times, but sometimes 

 only twice, in a slow, angry tone. After some fifteen minutes the Crow in sight 

 seemed to become tired of his exertions and flapped away toward the west and 

 the cawing ceased immediately. I have thought that possibly a Raven was be- 

 ing tormented by a Crow, but as one of the birds was not seen at all it may have 

 been a case of two Crows settling some disputed question. 



Cunning, shrewd, unapproachable, except under cover, the Crows seem fully 

 capable of holding their own against all enemies, and will doubtless be found 

 scolding and quarrelling among the willow clumps along the river through many 

 a windy March day in years to come. 



Dwarf Cowbird. Molothrus ater obscuriis (Gmelin). 



Cowbirds, supposedly of this form, are known to visit this part of the San 

 Joaquin Valley at times, but seem nowhere common. They probably do not breed 



