28 



THE OOLOGIST. 



from the North-east but but, as the trees 

 formed a perfect shelter, hundreds of birds 

 were congregated there and by far the most 

 numerous were the Fish Crows; in fact they 

 greatly outnumbered all the other species 

 put together. They were evidently migrat- 

 ing for they came down the coast in an 

 almost unbroken stream and continued to 

 fly all day. I think I saw more pass the 

 island than I ever saw before. It did not 

 seem possible that there could have been 

 so many of these Crows in existence for 

 they could be counted by the tens of thous- 

 ands. I have always found that they ac- 

 cumulate in large flocks in winter and 

 have-noted immense numbers on the prai- 

 ries of Southern Florida, but nothing that I 

 had previously seen ever gave me the 

 impression which I that day received re- 

 garding the abundance of these birds, and 

 I was thoroughly satisfied that the Fish 

 Crows were not in any danger of being, ex- 

 terminated, at least in the section of 

 country which they inhabit north of South- 

 Carolina. 



The Fish Crows are essentially maritime 

 birds and, as will be infered by the above 

 remarks, gregariously inclined for the great- 

 er portion of the year. They spend their 

 time about shores, not only of these a- but 

 of large bodies of water, subsisting largely 

 on what they can pick up on the margin. 

 They have, however, a singular habit of 

 hovering over the surface in order to catch 

 any floating object, and I have seen several 

 thus engaged at the same time when they 

 so nearly resembled Gulls that, had it not 

 been for the flight and note,- they might 

 have been taken for a black species of this 

 latter named family. They do not, how- 

 ever, depend wholly upon the water to 

 supply them with food, for they are very 

 fond of the fruit of the palmetto and I 

 have also found them feeding on the spicy 

 berries of the bay. 



The Fish Crows are not always, however, 

 content with such diet but, unfortunately 

 for the Herons, Cormorants, Terns, and 

 other birds which breed in rookeries, are 

 extremely fond of eggs and will always eat 

 them whenever a favorable opportunity 

 offers but, as they regard the parent birds, 

 especially the sharp-beaked Herons, with 

 the utmost respect, they never visit the 

 nests excepting in the absence of their own- 

 ers. The Crows are always on the alert, 

 however, and when a nest is left unguarded, 

 even for a moment, they will dart into it, 

 plunge their beaks through the shell of the 

 eggs and carry them away. I once found 

 a nest of a Fish Crow birilt in a low tree 

 which was completely surrounded by the 

 shells of Cormorant's eggs, each of woich 

 was emptied through a hole in the side. 



There was a rookery on a neighboring 

 island and the Crows spent their time flying 

 about it, frecpuntly returning with an egg. 

 Whenever we visited a heronry or Cormor- 

 ant rookery the Fish Crows had a fine time; 

 for, evidently understanding what we were 

 after and knowing that the parent birds 

 would retreat before us, they cauie in num- 

 bers and, as they were not shy, would 

 always manage to obtain their share of the 

 eggs. Indeed upon one occasion they car- 

 ried away all the eggs from a heronry, 

 consisting of upwruds of a hundred nests, 

 in an hour's time. 



Of the three species of this genus which 

 occur in Eastern North America, the Raven 

 is the least active, the gravest and heaviest 

 flyer; next, as an intermediate, comes the 

 Common Crow; while the present species 

 represent the other extreme being full of 

 nervous activity, flying with a quicker mo- 

 tion of the wings, and seldom sailing. 

 They also. stop suddenly and will wheel as 

 readily in the air as a Red-winged Black- 

 bird. They move in straggling flocks and 

 as they go utter the Tta-lia which, althotigh 

 not much lower than that of the Common 

 Crow, has such a peculiar hilonation as to 

 be recognizable at once. They migrate con- 

 stantly through the winter, ■ and large 

 numbers often pass a given point, thus I 

 have seen them flying for several hours 

 over the Everglades. At such a time, if I 

 shot one and it fell .where its com] aniens 

 could see it, they would hover over the 

 spot, then circle abotit s vocifeiating loudly, 

 often coming within a few yaids of my 

 head. They apjjenr to select particular 

 spots as roosting places, generally in- 

 swamps, to which they return before sun- 

 down and depart after sunrise. These 

 Crows breed about the first week in April, 

 frequently in communities but I have found 

 single nests. The structures are very large 

 for the size of the bird and are placed in 

 trees. Taken altogether the Fish Crows 

 can scarcely be considered as useful birds 

 but they are decidedly characteristic of 

 southern maritime scenery, and many a 

 barren reach of sea-board is enlivened by 

 their energetic movements and quaint crys. 



I have spoken of the Fish Crows as in- 

 habitants of the sea-shore, but I have also, 

 found them on the rivers in the interior of 

 Florida and judge that they occur on large 

 bodies of fresh water some distance from 

 the sea ; yet think that in winter they are 

 by far more numerous along the coast, I 

 have seen them as far north as Norfolk, 

 Virginia, as late as the tenth of November, 

 but they were migrating then, yet it is pos- 

 sible that some remained all winter. 

 —From Maynard's Birds of Eastern North 

 America. 



