276 CITIZEN BIRD 



blue and gray bird we saw in the woods was a Jay," 

 said Nat. 



" Yes, but that is no stranger, as far as looks go, than 

 to find a flaming Oriole in the Blackbird family, is it ? 

 You remember that I told you the relationship of birds 

 depends upon their likeness in the bones and the rest 

 of their inwards, not upon the color of their feathers." 



" See ! there are a great many Crows on that sand- 

 bar ! They are picking up mussels ! Some are bigger 

 than others ! " said Rap, w ho had been taking a look 

 through the field-glass. '' Are the small ones the 

 females, or are there two kinds of Crows ? " 



"There are several kinds of Crows in the United 

 States, besides Ravens and jNIagpies, who are cousins to 

 the Crow. About here we usually only see two of 

 them — the two that are now down on the bar — the 

 American Crow and the Fish Crow. The Fish Crow 

 is tlie smaller of the two, lives along the coast, and 

 does not often go further north than Connecticut. It 

 takes its name from its habit of catching fish in shallow 

 pools and bays. 



'' The larger Crow is the bird that every one knows 

 and most people dislike, because it has always been 

 called a corn thief, though the Wise Men say it is 

 rather a useful bird after all. 



" The Crow is certainly a black, gloomy-looking bird, 

 with a disagreeable voice. If several pairs make up 

 their minds to build in the cedars or tall pines in one's 

 grounds, anywhere near the house, the noise they make 

 early in the morning is very tiresome. ' Ka — Ka — 

 Ka-a-a-ah ! ' they call and quaver, at the first peep of 

 day. Then they begin to look about for breakfast. If 



