CROWS, JAYS, ETC. 277 



consisting of bark strips and bunches of hair and wool. 

 Last year's nests are a favorite receptacle for the eggs of 

 the horned and barred owls, which utilize them for breeding 

 purposes in February and March. The four to seven eggs 

 so v&ry in size, shape, and color, that eggs from the same 

 nest frequently appear to have been laid by different birds. 

 Read " Silver Spot, the Crow," by Ernest Seton- 

 Thompson. 



CLARKE'S NUTCRACKER 



Clarke's Nutcracker, or Clarke's Crow, is smaller than 

 our true crows but larger than the jays. It is a shy, 

 cautious bird inhabiting the mountainous regions of the 

 United States and Canada. Comparatively little has been 

 written about the habits of this bird oMdng to its shyness 

 and retiring disposition. Naturalists find it difficult to 

 visit the breeding grounds while the birds are laying their 

 eggs or rearing their young. 



Their food consists almost entirely of pine seeds, which 

 they dexterously extract from cones, hence the range of 

 the birds from year to year varies according to the abun- 

 dance of pine cones. The female guards her eggs so closely 

 that it is possible to remove the bird from her nest with 

 the hand. Like the Canada jay and magpie, the nut- 

 cracker is possessed of great cunning, and is a restless, 

 uneasy fellow. 



In March and April when the snow is still deep on the 

 mountain slopes, the nutcracker is constructing a warm 

 nest in the densest part of some coniferous tree. In appear- 

 ance the nest might readily be mistaken fqf that of a 



