204 EEPOET OF NEW JERSEY STATE MUSEUM. 



486a Corvus corax principalis Ridgway. 

 Eaven. 



Adults. Length, 21.50-26. Wing, 15.50-18. Everywhere black with bluish 

 reflections ; feathers of the throat elongated and narrow. 



Young in first summer. Body plumage dull brownish-black. 



Nest a bulky structure of sticks lined with bark, fibers, etc., situated in the 

 top of a tall tree (or cliff in other localities) ; eggs, four to seven, bluish-green, 

 or olive spotted with brown or dark olive, 1.95 x 1.25. 



Formerly rare resident. A few may still breed in the State. 



The Eaven is a bird of the wildest sections of the country, disap- 

 pearing as civilization advances. They are seen singly or in pairs, 

 and in general appearance resemble crows. The distinguishing 

 points as we see the bird in flight are (1) the larger size not always 

 an easy thing to judge, since distance, atmosphere, etc., play an im- 

 portant part in estimating the bulk of a bird; (2) the hoarse guttural 

 croak; (3) the more frequent sailing. 



In New Jersey the Eavens are restricted mainly to the wilderness 

 known as the Pine Barrens and to the seashore. In winter and early 

 spring I used frequently to see a pair crossing the salt meadows below 

 Atlantic City from the pine lands, apparently to feed along the beach, 

 and in 1892 and 1893 Mr. S. N. Ehoads and I saw a pair near May's 

 Landing, which were said to nest in the vicinity. 1 



Mr. Jillson, of Tuckerton, informs me that a pair bred regularly a 

 few miles inland from that point, returning to the same nest year 

 after year, but in 1905 the wood where they nested was cut down. 

 Eavens have, however, been seen in the vicinity in subsequent years. 

 Mr. George B. Benners writes me that he obtained two young Eavens, 

 just able to fly, from a nest in a gum tree, in a swamp between West 

 Creek and Tuckerton, May 1889, and Mr. W. E. D. Scott 2 secured a 

 specimen at West Creek, January 17th, 1879. 1 



Beesley mentions them as occurring in Cape May county in 1857, 

 but he did not know of their nesting. Thurber records one shot at 

 Morristown by L. P. Sherer about 1881. 



1 Birds of E. Pa. and N. J., p. 103. 



2 Bull. Nutt. Orn. Club, 1879, p. 82. 



