216 BiiiDs OF XoRTH Carolina 



201. Corvus ossifragus i Wil.s.). Fish Crow. 



DescrijHion, — iMit.ire i)hmiagp Ijlnck, with stonl-lilup or drop purplish reflections, generally 

 more greenish on the uniicrparts. L., Ki.OO; \V., 11.00; T., ().40; H., L.'jO. 



Remarks. — The Fish Crow may be distinKuishetl from the <'onimon crow (1) by its smaller 

 size. (2) By the uniform and somewliat richer color of the l)ack. In hrarliyrhyrirhns the feathers 

 of the back have dull tijjs: when tlic freshly iilumaged l)ird is held between the observer and the 

 light these tijis give the back a ringed or slightly scaled .■iiipcaraiice. In ossifriigii.s these tipsare 

 wanting, and the back is uniformly colored, ('.ij By the brighter color of the underpart.s. In 

 brachyrliyurhox the uiiderparts are generally much duller than the upperparts; in ossifragus 

 they are nearly as bright. (Chap., liinla of E. A'. .1.) 



Jiaiii/e in I'nilcd Stalcx. — Eastern and southern coasts from New York to Louisiana. 



lifinge in North Carolina. — Coast region only, where it is resident. 



Thf Fish Clow, a somewhat smaller hiid tlian tlic foregoing species, is a common 

 resident along our coastal region, nesting in trees in suitable .situations. The ne.sts 

 and eggs are similar to those of th(- common crow, hut the latter are smaller, aver- 

 aging only l..")0 .\ 1.10. 



The feeding habits of Fish Crows are similar to those of its larger relative, but, on 

 account of a different habitat, they also feast upon fish, crabs, and other creatures 

 that are washed ashore by the waves. They also plunder the heron and cormorant 

 rookeries, eating the eggs when the parents are absent from their ne.sts. Pearson 

 has found their nests late u\ .\pril and May in Dare, Hyde, and Carteret counties. 

 He ojjserved that if you found one Fish Crow's nest in a grove it was frequently 

 the ca.se that a search would reveal ])erha]is half a dozen others within a short 

 distance. 



The IStarling, Sliirnii.s rulyaris. so far as we are aware, has not yet been recorded from North 

 Carolina. This l-auopcan .si)ecies was first inlnxluccd into this country in IS'.M), when Eugene 

 Schietfelin liberated sixty in Central Park, Xew York City. Since that time it has increa.sed 

 rapidly in numbers and its range has extended in a .southerly direction as far as Newport News, 

 Va. \\'e may, therefore, expect it to appear in North Carolina at any time. The Starling is 

 about eight and one-half inches in length. In general appearance it is a short, metallic-purjilish, 

 black bird, .and is usually heavily covered with creamy white spots. To the minds of many 

 ornithologists this bird bids fair to become as great a nui.sanee in the United Slates as the 

 English Sf)arni\v. The Starling belongs to the family Siurniil(e, of which it is the only repre- 

 eentative in the I'liiled St:iles. 



44. FAMILY ICTERID/E. BLACKBIRDS. ORIOLES, ETC. 



This is a family of medium-sized birds, intermediate in soiiu' ri's])ects between 

 the Crows on tiie one hand and tiie Finches on the other, but perhaps in most 

 respects nearer tiie latter. All are distiiietively .\inerieaii birds. 



KEY TO GENERA 



1. Outlines of bill nearly or quite straight, the tip not evidently decurved, the commissure 

 not sinuate. See 2. 



1. Outlines of bill distinctly curved, the tip decurved, the commissure evidently siiuiated. Croio 



Iiliickbiril.'<. See (i. 

 2 Bill stout, conical, its depth at ba.se at least one-third its length. See 3. 



2. IJill slender, its depth at base scarcely one-third its length. See Fi. 



3. Tail-feathers acute, middle toe with claw longer than tarsus. Bill stout, shorter than the 



head. Doiirhotiyx. 



3. Tail-feathers not acute, middle toe with claw not longer than tarsus. Sec 4. 



4. Bill stout, much shorter than head. Molothrus. 



4. Bill more slender, about as long as head. .{iirUiius. 



5. Tail not more than two-thirds length of wing, the feathers acute. Breast yellow, with a black 



crescent. Stiirnclhi. 



