THE IOWA ORNITHOLOGIST. 



and are of a green shade with 

 larj^e coarse blotches and spots of 

 dusky brown. During- the season 

 of '901 noted in the proximity of 

 New Sharon a very large specimen 

 which was marked by having- a 

 very white head. I also had the 

 pleasure of mounting a specimen 

 taken in Story Co. in 1882 which 

 was a dirty white color all over.'' 

 ( W. A. Bryan.) "No day in the 

 year passes without many Crows 

 being seen here at Glendale. Half 

 a mile from my home, they have 

 a roost. In March and April, and 

 Sept. and Oct., hundreds gather 

 towards evening. They make a 

 great noise quarreling apparently, 

 until the}' quiet down for the 

 night; then just at da3-bre2k they 

 make a great clamor as the}' start 

 on for their several fields of 

 labor. During the winter and 

 summer months as many do not 

 gather at the roost. Scmetinics 

 they take fields of corn whtn it 

 is just beginning to come through 

 the ground. (H. Heaton)" 



^'■('(ir7'iis Amcricaiiiis abundant 

 the year around nesting pre- 

 ferably in jack oaks or in sap- 

 lings that have grown up tall 

 and slender and very close 

 together. Eggs 4 to 6 and vary- 

 ing considerably in coloring even 

 in same set- They and the Jays 

 seem to have a special pick at all 

 of the Owls and delight in as- 

 sembling and tormenting one 

 wherever found. "(J. H. Brown. ) 

 "Is a resident both at Iowa City 



and Burlington. At the latter 

 they congregate by thousands in 

 winter, especially in the swamps 

 just opposite Burlington; where 

 they feed on dead fish, which are 

 found on the banks of lakes. 

 (Prairie slough. )Kven here when 

 in countless numbers they are 

 quite shy and regard man as their 

 arch enemy. Last spring' I had 

 a chance to see crows attack a 

 Barred Owl. I had given the bird 

 a load of twelves from my 45 bore, 

 which proved insufficient to kill 

 him. A Crow noticed him as be 

 Hew and at once gave the alarm; 

 : bout two dozen came to aid 

 their black companion, and to 

 attack his Owlship. They suc- 

 ceeded in forcing him to the 

 ground and now all gathered 

 about him in a circle, and one 

 after another would walk up to 

 Mr. Owl and give him a whack. 

 'J^liis was repeated until the Owl 

 was apparently dead; when they 

 became more bold and commenced 

 to 2)ick him; to which I objected. 

 Examination showed that I had 

 not injured him much and that 

 he was not dead, only stunned." 

 (Paul Bartsch. ) 



491. PicicoivLis columbianus. (Wils.) 



CLARKE'S CROW, 

 or NUTCRACKER. 



Adult: (iray, often bleaching 

 on the head, wings glossy 

 bhick; most of the secondaries 

 broadly tipped with white, 



