BLACK OR IRIDESCENT BLACK 405 
locally in small numbers, nesting in colonies on the 
high perpendicular cliffs. Dr. Merriam reports it from 
Inyo County, California, and Dr. A. K. Fisher writes of it 
in the “ Ornithology of the Death Valley Expedition ” as 
follows: “The Black Swift was first observed at Owens 
Lake near Keeler, California, where a number were seen 
flying back and forth over the salt meadows. . . . When 
the flock left the marsh it rose high in the air and went 
in the direction of the cliffs in the Inyo Mountains, 
where a colony was evidently breeding.” 
In flight this species are even more rapid and graceful 
than the chimney swifts, rarely if ever alighting on the 
ground or in trees. 
Their food consists of small insects caught in their 
large mouths while flying swiftly through the air. 
486. AMERICAN RAVEN. — Corvus corax sinuatus. 
Famity: The Crows, Jays, Magpies, etc. 
Length : 21.50-26.00. 
Adults: Entire plumage iridescent black, with purple and green lights ; 
feathers of the throat lanceolate, distinct from one another; feathers 
of the neck dull gray at the base. 
Geographical Distribution: From the Rocky Mountains to the Pacific; 
from Canada to Guatemala. 
Breeding Range: Southern California and islands adjacent. Recorded 
north to Red Bluff and Humboldt Bay. 
Breeding Season: March 15 to June 1. 
Jest: Bulky structure ; of coarse sticks ; lined with bark, wool, or goats’ 
hair; placed in trees or on cliffs according to locality, which is always 
inaccessible. 
Eggs: 5 to7; thickly spotted with brown, purple, and gray. Size 1.92 
m1 2T. 
THrovuGHouT the coast district of California, “ wher- 
ever tall bare cliffs rise from the valleys and deep, steep- 
