244 



NORTH AMElilCAX BIRDS. 



IIajj. I'nitfd Statos, from Athmtic to rucitic ; raro in the MiiMlc Province and on 

 Miss«)ini Plains, and an nortliui'st coast. N. K. Texas (Dkkssku, Ibis, I8(>tj, 41)4^. Nurtli 

 to (fivat Slave Lake, Port Rae, and Nebon River, II. IJ. T. 



The C. nnuriranus has no analogue in Europe, thou.u;li tlie C. coronc some- 

 what resenihles it. The must important feature of distinction appears to lie 

 in tlie structure of the feathers of the head and neck, which in ('. roronc are 

 narrow, with the tips distinct, while in tlie American bird tliese tii)s are 

 blendetl to«jether and ilo not maintain tlieir individuality. The featliers on 

 the fore-neck in lorone are also lanceohite and distinct, showin^,' the outliiu; 

 of eacli one as in tlie liaven, wliile in the American Crow thev are three 

 times as broad, rounded, and entirely blended. Mr. Audubon further 

 remarks that tlie neck of the Eurojjean bird is glossed with .u[reen and blue, 

 whilt; that of the American has a decided i»urplish-brown tinge. 



Prince Maximilian states, in addition, that the note differs in the two 

 species. 



Hahits. The Common Crow of North America is found in great abun- 

 dance in all the Eastern States, from Texas to Florida, and from the Missouri 

 to Nova Scotia. A few are found beyond the Great Plains, and they also 

 extend their migrations, in summer, into high Arctic regions, llichardson 

 found them as far north as the 55th parallel, but was in error when he stated 

 that beyond this they do not go. He adds that none approach within five or 

 six hundred miles of Hudson's Bay. They were observed at Cross Lake and 

 at Lake Winnepeg by Mr. Kennicott, at P>ig Island l)y Mr. Keid, at Fort 

 Kae h\ Mr. Clarke, and at Fort Anderson and on the Lower Anderson IJiver 

 by Mr. ^LacFarlane, who also found them breeding even at this high latitude. 

 They were not seen in llussian America, and Dr. Cooper thinks that the 

 species does not occur in California, or, if at all, only rarely, but that it is 

 there replaced by C. caurinus. 



Mr. liidgway found the Crow of very rare occurrence in the interior. A 

 very few were seen in the Truckee meadows, in November, and othei-s at the 

 Hund)oldt marshes, in October. These western l>irds were exceedingly un- 

 suspicious and familiar, so nuich so that those seen in the Humboldt marshes 

 were walking about with all the familiarity of domestic ))igeons, only ho])- 

 ping aside as they were appniached. None were seen either in spring or 

 summer. 



In Western Iowa Mr. Allen states that he saw but very few of this spe- 

 cies, and even in Northern Illinois it was not very common. At the West 

 this bird is reported to be held in better estimation than at the East, by the 

 farmers. It is not known to pull corn, and seems to be entirely unsuspi- 

 cious. It is regarded generally as a benefactor, and not only deserves, but 

 receives, good treatment. In Indiana he found it more connnon. 



Dr. Coues met with a single individual on the Kabiador coast. In Nova 

 Scotia it is much more abundant, and there, as on the Western prairies, being 

 unmolested by the inhabitants, it is exceedingly unsuspicious, and will per- 



