7 BULLETIN No. 34. 



Februar\-, a low sp^utterij\ii, rattlin;j; Kck-ch-ck-ch-fk-ch-hd-ah 

 ifpeatcd, at first suo;gestino; a Kingfislier, from a sin.Lile bird as 

 it tlfw ab(;ut near the <4round, feeding. 



Tlie love note of the male is a Coiv-coiv-coic-cow or as Lan- 

 gille has it — Cliow-ow-uw-ow , low and deep. 



The female's love note is a series of strange cries, Caw- 

 laic-ca-ix'-iWu'-caw-co-co-co, beginning soft and nasual but after the 

 tirst two notes increasing in force and measure until broken off. 



As previously stated, Langille has recorded love notes of the 

 male, but I believe Maynard to be the only ornithologist who 

 has described at length the courtship of a pair, and in all prob- 

 ability he has too highly colored his discription. Before gi\ ing 

 my own version 1 w ill quote him, as his Birds of Eastem North 

 America is nt^t accessable to many : "It may seem absurd to 

 talk about Crows singing, but having heard their performance, 

 1 can bear testimony to the excellence, that is comparatively 

 speaking. 1 was once watching a pair of Crows that were 

 building in a small grove near Newtonville, and, as I had suc- 

 ceeded in gaining a place of concealment not far from the birds, 

 without attracting their attention, had a fine opportunity of ob- 

 serving their movements, while they were entirely unc(jnscious 

 of my presence. The first thing I noticed was a peculiar sound 

 which somewhat resembled the cooing of a Dove, but it was 

 far more musical. As only one of the birds was discernable 

 from where I stood, 1 could not at first make out from what di- 

 recti(jn it came, but after a moment moved slightly when I saw 

 at once the author of the singular melody was no other than a 

 Crow, evidently a male; it was seated on a limb of a tree by 

 the side of its mate and he behaved in an odd manner for so grave 

 a bird. He would move sideways on his perch, bow his head, 

 spread his tail, and droop his wings, at the same time giving ut- 

 terance to a cooing note. The female watched him demurely 

 all the while but made no demonstrations whatever, and, after 

 performing some five minutes, both flew away." 



My first witness of this highly interesting performance was 

 in the afternoon of the cold day of April 20th, 1897, and from 

 the notes taken on the spot it will be seen that no doubt is left 

 as to the sexes. The female was about three hundred vards 



