234 THE AMERICAN MIDLAND NATURALIST. 
117. Octoris alpetris praticola Henshaw. Prarie 
Horned Lark. A common summer resident, perhaps re- 
maining all winter. Reports have come to me that these 
birds were seen in February and very early March of 
1918; in 1916 Howard Clarke Brown saw a flock on March 
12, in Oak Park. Breeding apparently does not begin until 
early April. The species is more common in the western and 
northern portions of the county than about Charles City. 
118. Cyanocitta cristata cristata (Linn.) Blue Jay. A 
common resident throughout the year, although a partial 
migration is noticeable in middle or late October. The return 
migration is so gradual that it cannot be recorded. The first 
eggs are laid in late April, the second set at various times in 
June. The species is particularly abundant in brushy areas in 
Wildwood Park, southwest of Charles City, and in the 
Waller Woods. 
119. Corvus corax sinuatus (Wagl.) Raven. Anderson 
states: Mr. George H. Berry reports that a correspondent 
observed a specimen near Rockford, Iowa, in 1900, feeding 
with crows. It was also observed to be much larger than the 
crows, which makes the record appear probable.” There 
are questionable reports of the species from W. T. Swartz, 
now of Elkader, Iowa, but for many years a resident of 
Charles City, and from John R. Waller. Webster says that 
in 1914 he saw what he took to be a Raven with a flock of 
crows at Devonia. 
120. Corvus brachyrhynchos  brachyrhynchos C. L. 
Brehm. Crow. An abundant resident in all parts of the 
county, and in adjoining counties. Nests are built in rather 
small trees, the eggs being laid in April. I have found nests 
near Charles City, Rudd, Nora Springs, Rockford,~ Marble 
Rock and Carrville; also in the neighborhood of Devonia and 
and in the woods north of Floyd. 
The only roost that has come under my observation is _ 
located in a woodland near Devonia. Webster, who watched 
this roost for several years, reports that the number of birds 
varies widely, from less than 200 to approximately 3000. 
In mid-August, 1915, the flock numbered about 250 birds; 
in September 1916 at least 500 were seen in one flock. The 
