A First Glance at the Birds. 



crow itself is now exterminated about 

 Berkeley, it is still common in Marin 

 County and on Angel Island in San 

 Francisco Bay. In the southern part of 

 the state the plowed fields are fairly 

 alive with them in the springtime — 

 the same old rascals that have gained 

 such an unenviable reputation in the 

 east. Ravens frequent inaccessible cliffs 

 by the sea or the wastes of the interior 

 plains. 



The crest of the Sierras separates the 

 range of our two magpies. They are 

 identical in every respect save for the 

 color of the bill, which is black upon the 

 eastern slope of the Sierras and yellow 

 in California. They are noisy, showy, 

 and highly entertaining birds, helping 

 to enliven the dreary desert wastes, 

 where they are abundant near every 

 trickling stream of water. 



Several species of jays are found in 

 California (including the interesting 

 Clark's nutcracker), in contrast to the 

 one species which occurs in the east. 



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