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PICICOEVUS COLUMBIANUg, CLAEKE'S CROW. 



Kearney (Nebraska, long. 99° 6' W. Green-wicb, Cooper). South on high lands to MexicoT 

 (to Albuquerque, New Mexico, Kennerly; Fort Whipple, Arizona, Caueg; Fort Tejon, 

 California, Xantus). Found breeding at Fort Colville, Washington Territory {Lord). 



lAst of specimens. 



Lieutenant Warren's Expedition.— W7(l-7i, Black Hills, Dakota; 8875, Rawhide Peak, 

 Wyoming. 



Later Expeditions.— hiZVI-l^, Wyoming ; 59856-9, Colorado ; 60817-18, Pacific Creek, 

 Wyoming ; 61087, Green River ; 11159 (young), Wyoming. 



The range of this species is nearly coincident with the zone of conif- 

 erous vegetation in the West. It rarely descends below an altitude of 

 3,000 feet, and has been observed on ]jeaks 10,000 feet high. A hardy 

 bird, finding its food at all seasons, Clarke's Crow is not a true 

 migrant; that is to say, it does not move north and south at regular 

 periods. But the individuals are never thoroughly localized ; they are 

 restless birds, scurrying continually among the mountains. The nearest 

 approach to a regular movement appears to be their flying down mount- 

 ains in severe weather, and returning to the more elevated situations 

 to breed. This seems to be the case, at any' rate, in latitudes from 45° 

 southward, although they nest quite low down in more northern situa- 

 tions. Thus, at Port Whipple, near 35° 30', and 4,000 or 5,000 feet high, 

 I never saw them in summer; but tbey were irregularly common from 

 October to March, and I have no doubt they breed in the neighboring^ 

 San Francisco Mountains. I have never seen the nest or eggs. Mr. J. 

 K. Lord, who found the bird in immense flocks, in May, near Fort Col- 

 ville, and subsequently breeding there, states that a nest was placed in 

 the top of a pine, 200 feet high ; " it was composed of fir-twigs, bark, 

 leaves of pine, and fine root-fibres, with some moss and gray lichen — 

 very large and shallow." 



Like otliers of this omnivorous family, Clarke's Crow is an indiscrim- 

 inate feeder upon vegetable substances, giving preference, however, to 

 the seeds of the pine, berries of the cedar, and acorns. Prying into a 

 pine-cone with its long and peculiarly-shaped beak, it gouges out the 

 seeds, often hanging, while thus engaged, head downward, like a 

 Thistle-bird swing under the globular aiuent of a button-wood. It also 

 eats insects of various kinds, and has been observed pecking at dead 

 bark to obtain them, and making short sallies in the air for the same 

 purpose, like a Woodpecker. It sometimes descends to the ground in 

 search of food, walking easily and firmly, like a true Crow ; but we may 

 infer, from the length and sharpness of its claws, that it does not spend 

 much of its time on the ground. 



According to my observations, made at all seasons, excepting during 

 the breeding time, Clarke's Crow is decidedly a gregarious bird. Flocks 

 of fifty or a hundred are oftener witnessed than single birds, and jMr. 

 Lord speaks of their appearance " by thousands." They are very noisy 

 birds, uttering a harsh, discordant scream of great volume and pene- 

 tration, and extremely wary, under ordinary circumstances, like most 

 of the larger Corvi. The ordinary flight is rapid, straight, and steady, 

 accomplished by regular and vigorous wing-beats ; but when flying 

 only from tree to tree, the birds swing themselves in an undulatory 

 course, with the wings alternately spread and nearly closed, much in 

 the manner of the Woodpeckers. 



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