310 



THE OOLOGIST. 



were placed in ample cages and sent 

 aboard at London docks, but the ven- 

 ture was almost a total failure, as near- 

 ly every bird was dead before the ves- 

 sel anchored in New York harbor. 

 (to be continued). 



Nidification of the Fish Crow- 



So little has been written on the nest- 

 ing of this species, that it has occured 

 to the writer to make known to those 

 who are interested, the notes taken on a 

 single day's collecting trip, in which the 

 Corvus ossifragus figured prominently. 

 May 18th, '94, I found about 40 pair 

 breeding on one of the numerous islands 

 on the South Jersey coast, Cape May 

 county. The timber consists of large 

 White Holly and Red Cedar, the latter 

 dead or alive, invariably covered with 

 usnea. 



The bird usually flushed before one 

 has observed the -nest in consequence 

 of this in connection with the fact that 

 almost every tree contained its one, two 

 or three nests, and that they all looked 

 alike from below, we were compelled 

 to climb upward of 70 or 80 trees. For- 

 tunately they were easily ascended with 

 climbers and were all within thirty-nine 

 feet of the ground. A number of birds 

 of this species, returning from their 

 crabbing trips or thieving expeditions 

 for the eggs of the Clapper Rail; con- 

 stantly hovei'ed above, out of gunshot, 

 protesting oin their gutteral clatter. 

 Two sets of 4, four sets of 5, and one 

 set of 6 eggs were found, all containing 

 small embryoes. 



While the eggs do not differ from 

 certain examples of the Corvus ameri- 

 canus in my collection, the nests are 

 totally different in botn composition 

 and workmanship. 'Placed indifferently 

 in a fork or out on a bi'anch of a ttee, it 

 is composed of sticks, twigs, sometimes 

 with the addition of cedar bark and us- 

 nea or tree moss; lined with strips of 

 cedar bark. 



No earth being used the nest presents 

 a neat appearance. The outside depth 

 and diameter are equal. The measure- 

 ments are as following in inches. 



Inside: Depth, 4 to 5; diameter, 6 to 

 8. Outside: Depth, 12 to 15; diameter, 

 12 to 15. 



Three sets before me exhibit the 

 markings of the series. 



Set I. Six eggs. From pale mala- 

 chite to light .glaucous-green, spotted 

 and blotched with mouse and olive 

 grey, overlaid with rather large spots 

 and blotches of olive green, heaviest at 

 larger ends, and grading No.l (the heav- 

 iest marked) to No. 6, which is light- 

 est. A few scattered spots of clove 

 brown found on every egg. 1.51x1.10, 

 1.55x1.10, 1.52x1.11, 1.49x1.12, 1.49x1.11, 

 1.53x1.08. 



Set II. Five eggs. Fading glaucous- 

 green, uniformly spotted and dotted 

 with olive green, a few scattered speck- 

 les of clove brown appearing over the 

 olive green. All eggs alike. 1.52x1.06, 

 1.51x1.07, 1.50x1.06, 1.54x1.08, 1.40x1.02. 



Set III. Four eggs. Pale glaucous- 

 green, with shell markings of mouse 

 and olive grey, overlaid with spots ana 

 large blothes of olive green and clove 

 brown, much the heaviest at the large 

 ends. Markings cleai'ly defined. The 

 clove brown predominating on fourth 

 egg. 1.47x1.01, 1.50x.96, 1.42xl.02,1.45x 

 1.01 



A nest containing fully Hedged young 

 of the C. americanus was found by my 

 companion, Mr. Lionel F. Bowers. It 

 would appear that the latter nested ful- 

 ly a month previous to its smaller cous- 

 in. 



It is worth observing that the natives 

 make no distinction between the two 

 species, considering them the same; al- 

 tho' the difference in size is at once ap- 

 parent to the novice. 



F. L. Burns. 



