THE WESTERN C"R()\V. ii 



seems that one old fcllnw was not satisfied, tor as 1 \enture(l to sliift 

 ever so little from my strained position, he set up a derisi\e Ca-a-a-aiu 

 from a branch over my head, — as who- should sa\-, "Aw, ye can't fool me. 

 Y're just a ma-a-an," and flapped away in disgust. 



Crows attempt certain musical notes as well : and. unless 1 niislake, the 

 western bird has attained much greater proficiency in these. These notes are 

 deeply guttural, and evidently entail considerable effort on the bird's part. 

 Hunger-o-opc. Iniiigcr-o-opc. one says: and it occurs to me that this is allied 

 to the delary. dclary. or springboard cry, of the Blue Jay (Cyauocitta cris- 

 tata), — plunging notes tliey have also been called. 



Space fails in which to describe the elaborate structure of Crow society ; 

 to tell of the military and pedagogical systems which they enforce; of the 

 courts of justice and penal institutions which they maintain: of the vigilantes 

 who visit vengeance upon evil-minded owls and other offenders : or even of the 

 games which they play, — tag, hide and seek, blind-man's-buff and i)ul!-away. 

 These things are sufficiently attested by competent observers: we may only 

 spare a word for that most serious business of life, nesting. 



A typical Crow's nest is a very substantial affair, as our illustration shows. 

 Upon a basis of coarse sticks, a mat of dried leaves, grasses, bark-strips, and 

 dirt, or nuul, is impressed. The deep rounded bowl thus formed is carefully 

 lined with the inner bark of the willow or with twine, horse-hair, cow-hair, 

 rabbit-fur, wool, or any other soft suljstance available. When cumpleted the 

 nesting hollow is seven or eight inches across and three or Unw deep. The 

 expression "Crow's nest," as used to indicate disarray, really arises from the 

 consideration of old nests. Since the birds resort to the same locality year 

 after year, but ne\'er use an old nest, the neighboring structures of successi\-e 

 years come to represent e\erv stage of dilapidation. 



West of tlie mountains nests are almost invariably placed well up in hr 

 trees, hard against the trunk, and so escape the cdmnmn observation. L'pon 

 the East-side, however, nests are usually placed in aspen trees or willows; in 

 the former case occurring at heights up to fifty feet, in the latter fmni ten to 

 twenty feet up. Escape by mere elevation being practically impossible, the 

 Crows resort more or less to out-of-the-way places, — s])ring draws, river 

 islands, and swampy thickets. 



Notwithstanding the fact that the spring season open^ mucii earlier tiian 

 in the East, the Crows, true to the traditions of a northern latitude, commonly 

 defer nesting till late in April. Fresh eggs may be found by the 20th of April, 

 but more surely on the ist of May. Incubation lasts from fourteen to eighteen 

 days; and the voting, commonlv five but sometimes six in number, are born 

 naked and blind. 



It is when the Crow children are hatched tliat Xature Ijcgins to groan. It 

 is then that birds' eggs are quoted by the crate: and beetles by the hecatomb 



