L'OKVID.E — THE CKUWS. 



235 



Sp. Char. Fourth quill lougcst ; third ami lillh about «.'(|ual ; seoi^ud hetwcon lilth 

 ami sixth; tirst nearly t'liual to the eiirhih. Leiiirth. about 24.<M> or li.j.UO ; extent, oO.OO 

 to .'J.ou: wiuir, about 17.00; tail, lU.(»<>. Tail inoiit-ratfly irraduated ; the outer feather 

 about l.bO to li.40 inches les!S thau the middle. Entirelv 'do;;sv black, with burnished 

 violet rellections. 



Il.vr.. Entire continent of North America. Rare east of the Mississippi. South t.» 

 Guatemala. 



Tlu)ii<,'li easily (listiiigiiishable from the European Livd, tlie Aiuericnn Haven 

 is so nearly relatetl to it as to be beyond doubt referrilde to it as a variety. 

 The difVerenees presented in a very lar^e series of both lornis are, however, 

 very constant and tangible. In tlie American bird the lull is always longer 

 and less deep, and the plumage is more highly burnished, while the wings, 

 especially the secondaries, are perceptibly of a more reddish violet than 

 the otiier ]»ortions. Though in an innnense scrip's of American si)ecimens 

 many diiferences of form and size are noted, yet tiiere is nothing sulUciently 

 characteristic of any particular region to indicate more than one variety. 

 As a rule, however, spe- 

 cimens from the high 

 north exceed in size 

 those from elsewhere, 

 and have the bill more 

 robust, though not so 

 short as in the Kiu'opean 

 bird ; while those from 

 the Middle Province and 

 Mexico to Guatemala 

 (= " c(ic((/of/;' Baird et 

 Auct.) have the plumage 

 more brilliant than oth- 

 ers, and freipiently the 

 bill very narrow. 



Habits. Assuming 

 that we must consider 

 as but one species the 

 two differing iorms of 

 Haven foinid in Xorth America, w^e find this bird more or less common 

 throughout nearlv the whole continent. Tt is nnich more aluindant in some 

 regions than in others, and, as a general rule, is much more common and 

 also more generally distributed in the western portion, where also Hs habits 

 are remarkal>ly different from the manners of its eastern representative. 



Tt seems to be more or less connnon throughout the Arctic regions. 

 Mr. Kennicott met with Ravens at T.ake Winnipeg. Mr. ^lacFarlane found 

 them abundant at Lockhart Hiver, at Fort Anderson, and on the Lower 

 Anderson Iliver. Mr. Ross obtained them at Fort Simj»son, Mr. Reid at 





Corf'us rrtmiroiiis. 



