NORTH AMERICAN BIRDS. 



333 



is sometimes made up of strips of cedar or juniper bark, dead leaves, sheep's wool, 

 feathers, or skunk's hair. Quite often in some localities, especially in the Eastern 

 States, pine needles are used for lining; while in many other localities, where the 

 surroundings will permit the use of this material, it is not used at all. Much binder 

 twine is made use of in the West. Rev. P. B. Peabody, Owatonna, Minn., writes: 'It 

 has apparently become as indispensable as nesting material to the Crow as sriake- 

 skins are to the Crested Flycatcher.' " The nesting season is in April and 

 May, or June, and sometimes even in March. From four to six, and occasionally 

 seven eggs are laid. These vary from a pale bluish to an olive-green, and from 



488. AMERICAN CROW i After Audubon) . 



almost unmarked specimens to those which appear of a uniform olive-green, so dense 

 and small are the markings. The typical egg, however, is of a light sea-green, 

 thickly spotted and blotched with dark brown, almost black, with purplish reflec- 

 tions; these are chiefly about the larger end. Mr. Burns gives the measurement of 

 three hundred and twenty eggs from New York State as follows: Maximum, 2.03x 

 1.33; minimum, 1.43x1.08; average, 1.65x1.15 inches. 



488a. FLORIDA CHOW. 



Southern Florida. 



Corvus americanus floridanus Baird. Geog. Dist. 



