3l6 CORVID^E : CROWS AND JAYS. 



altitude is generally great, the situation of the nest 

 being often practically inaccessible ; and the parents 

 show, moreover, much tact and discretion in going 

 and coming. So it commonly turns out that their 

 housekeeping is a success. The foundation and outer 

 walls of the nest are built of twigs and sticks, some- 

 times of considerable size, firmly interlaced, with the 

 interstices perhaps filled up with weeds or bunches of 

 grass which may have clods of earth attached. The 

 inner structure is of grasses, leaves, and strips of 

 bark, such as those from cedar or grape-vines. A 

 Pennsylvania nest in my possession is made entirely 

 of hogs' bristles, the bird having built near a pen 

 where pork was made, and doubtless found that these 

 stiff hairs answered the purpose. Mr. Maynard states 

 that he has found nests in apple-trees, not ten feet 

 from the ground. Nesting is early, in May, if not 

 in April, and four to six eggs fill the nest, meas- 

 uring about 1.70x1.20, but being very variable in 

 size and shape. Thus, one specimen measures 1.50 

 Xi-io, another 1.90X1.10. The ground color is 

 greenish of some shade ; sometimes quite clear bluish- 

 green, or even greenish-white, oftener dull grayish- 

 or olive-green. The marking varies interminably, but 

 it is nearly always profuse, and more or less evenly 

 overlying the whole surface. It is some dark shade 

 of brown, probably near reddish or flesh-tinted. The 

 heavy surface markings greatly preponderate over the 

 obscure shell spots, though more or fewer of the latter 

 may usually be seen. In rare cases, the egg is whitish 

 and nearly immaculate. The markings tend in many 

 samples to elongate into streaks running with the great- 

 est diameter. 



