THE FISH CEOW. 417 



a Willet, near Sing Sing, New York, in the spring of 1885. While the Fish 

 Crow undoubtedly does destroy the young and eggs of some bii'ds in certain 

 localities, it does not do so habitually. Mr. William Palmer, of Washington, 

 District of Columbia, tells me that he found four Fish Crows' nests, with eggs, 

 during the first ten days in May, 1894, on a hill near Four-Mile Run, in 

 Alexandria County, Virginia, and also four nests of the Grreen Heron, containing 

 eggs, one of these nests being only 40 feet from one of the Fish Crows' nests. 

 Notwithstanding that none of the Herons were seen close to their nests, while 

 the Fish Crows were at home and constantly flying about, so that they could 

 not help seeing the Herons' eggs, none were troubled and all contained full sets. 

 Three of the Fish Crows' nests were placed in pines, and one in a wild cherry 

 tree, about 45 feet from the gTOund. Fish Crows can often be seen flying up 

 and down the Potomac River, just over the water, looking for food, and when 

 they find anything they flutter over it like a Tern. They may often be seen 

 resting on the stakes left in the river by fishermen. 



Their call notes appear to be less harsh and are uttered in a more drawling 

 manner than those of the Common Crow; they are also more variable. They 

 consist of a clear "call" or "cahk," repeated at intervals of about thirty seconds, 

 and are usually uttered while the bird is perched on the extreme top of a tree. 

 They also utter a querulous "maah, maah" or " whaw, whaw," varied occasionally 

 to "aack, aack," or "waak, waak." It is almost impossible to reproduce such 

 sounds accurately on paper, and no two persons would render them alike. Their 

 flight is stated to be more graceful than that of the Common Crow ; they are 

 also said to soar and to elevate their wings more while circling about, especially 

 dming the mating season; but I must confess that I can not see mucli difference, 

 and I have watched both species closely. 



In the neighborhood of Washington, District of Columbia, they nest fully 

 a month later than the Common Crow, nidification rarely beginning before May 

 5, while Audubon reports them as breeding in February in southern Florida, 

 and correspondingly later northward. The only other Florida records I have 

 are likewise in May, one from the Kissimmee River, on May 2, 1876, and the 

 other from near San Mateo, Putnam County, May 13, 1892, the latter date being 

 given by Dr. Ralph. These eggs Avere quite fresh, and the set was probably not 

 completed when taken. Mr. Theodore W. Richards states that on the coast of 

 Virginia, where this species is much more common than the American Crow, the 

 breeding season is at its height during the first three weeks in May; and in my 

 opinion the majority of these birds seem to nest in this month throughout the 

 greater part of their rang-e. ' 



The nest itself resembles that of the Common Crow, but is, as a rule, some- 

 what smaller, and like that of the former varies in composition according to 

 locality. A nest taken by Dr. Ralph near San Mateo, Florida, was composed of 

 sticks with a little Spanish moss attached to them, and was lined with pine needles, 

 strips of cypress bark, and old Spanish moss. It was placed in the top of a 

 slender pine tree, in low, flat jjine woods, 81 feet above the ground. Some nests 



16896— No. 3 27 



