CROWS AND JAYS. 



45 



and one lone swallow skimmed its surface, and 

 the Robin's vvarl)le in the distant grove was faintly 

 heard, and 



" The sooty Blackbird 

 Mellowed his pipe, and softened every note." 



The nest is built in a fir thicket. 1'he four 

 eggs are pale greyish marked with brown. In 

 autumn the birds wander in flocks, the young 

 conspicuous by their rusty coats. 



l^he Purple Grackle (Quiscalus purpureus) is 

 a less common bird, with glossy, iridescent black 

 plumage. 1he nest is i)laced in a spruce or fir 

 tree and contains five eggs marked with curiously 

 arranged dark scrawls. 



CrotDs anil Juds. 



The Common Crow ( Connis fnigivoms) is very 

 common here. Winter and summer his familiar 

 cawing is about our doors. In the former season 

 he finds a subsistence by pilfering from stacks 

 and picking up refuse about yards and road -sides. 

 In summer various fields afford him abundant 

 food. He forages on the shores, digging clams 



