CROWS AND JAYS. 161 



Crows, Jays, etc. (Family Corvidje.) 



There are systematists who tliiiik that the members 

 of this family should hold the place usually assigued the 

 Thrushes, at the head of the class A-ves. Leaving out of 

 the case anatomical details whose value is disputed, we 

 might object to a family of songless birds being given first 

 rank in a group whose leading character is power of 

 song. But while Grows and Jays may, from a musical 

 standpoint, be considered songless, no one can deny their 

 great vocal powers. Song, after all, does not imply high 

 rank in l)ird-life, and some of the sweetest singers (among 

 others, some Snipe, and the Tinamous and Wood Quail 

 of South America) are not members of the suborder of 

 Song Birds. 



If, however, the relative intelligence of the two fam- 

 ilies be taken into account, there can be no doubt that 

 Cormdcp fully deserve to be considered the most highly 

 developed of birds. How many tales are told of the 

 human actions of the Raven, Rook, Jackdaw, Magpie, 

 Jay, and Crow ! 



Of the two hundred members of this family, six in- 

 habit eastern IS'orth America, by far tlie most common 

 being the Crow, l^o one of our birds 

 American Crow, -^ ^^^^^^^, known, and still, how ignorant 



we are of his ways ! I am not sure 

 that he does not know more about ours. We have not 

 even recorded his notes, for, in spite of the current opin- 

 ion that tlie Crow's calls are restricted to caw, he has an 

 extended vocabulary. I am not aware that he ever 

 ascends to the height of a love song, but that he can 

 converse fluently no one who has listened to him will 

 question. Of the variants of caw, each with its own 

 significance, there seems no end ; but if you would be 



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