402 LIFE HISTORIES OF NORTH AMERICAN BIRDS. 



Nidification begins occasionally in the latter part of April, more generally, how- 

 ever, about the middle of May, and sometimes not until the first week in June. 

 From four to six eggs are usually laid to a set, and only one brood is raised in 

 a season. The eggs do not differ materially from those of the American Raven, 

 but as a rule they are broader, more of a short ovate, and consequently some- 

 what larger. 



The average measurement of thirty-nine eggs in the United States National 

 Museum collection is 49.53 by 34.54 millimetres, or 1.95 by 1.36 inches. The 

 largest egg of the series measures 53.34 by 35.56 millimetres, or 2.10 by 1.40 

 inches; the smallest, 41.91 by 33.02 millimetres, or 1.65 by 1.30 inches. 



The type specimen, No. 18425 (PI. 4, Fig. 3), from a set of six eggs, was 

 obtained from Governor Fenkel, near Godthaab, Greenland, in 1880, and repre- 

 sents one of the lighter-colored and less heavily marked specimens of the series; 

 the majority resemble the types of the preceding species, and the three eggs 

 figured would answer equally well for both forms. 



161. Corvus cryptoleucus Couch. 



WHITE-NECKED RAVEN. 



Corvus cryptoleucus Couch, Proceedings Academy Natural Sciences, Philadelphia, April, 

 1854, 66. 



(B 425, C 227, R 281, C 339, U 487.) 



Geographical range: Southwestern United States;, from southern California 

 southeast through Arizona, New Mexico, and western Texas ; south into northern Mexico ; 

 north to Oklahoma and western Indian Territory, Colorado, and western Kansas. 



The White-necked Raven, a smaller and more slender-looking bird than the 

 American Raven, is likewise a resident and breeds wherever found. Along our 

 southern border these two species are frequently found together, and the marked 

 difference in size between them is then very readily observed. This bird usu- 

 ally inhabits the plains and foothills, and is rarely found at a higher altitude 

 than 5,500 feet. It is far more sociable in its habits than its larger relative, 

 and in winter fair-sized flocks may be often seen together, especially in the 

 vicinity of slaughterhouses. On the whole, they are not as shy as the Ravens, 

 and are much more easily obtained. Quite a number of these birds were con- 

 stant visitors at my camp at Rillito Creek, near Tucson, Arizona, in 1872 and 

 1873, on the lookout for scraps of food, and, as they were rarely molested, some 

 of the bolder ones became quite tame. 



I remember one bird in particular (easily recognized by a white patch on 

 the throat caused by the loss of some feathers) which visited my kitchen tent reg- 

 ularly, and would pick up food thrown to him, coming frequently within 15 feet 

 of the person throwing it. When the appetite of this bird was satisfied it would 

 still pick up any morsel in sight and hide it in the vicinity, under a piece of bark 

 or any other suitable object. One evening I noticed him hard at work only a 



