BIRDS OP C01.0RAD0. 9I 



to think him a veritable 'whiskey Jack.' Yet, whenever he is 

 disposed, a more bland, mind-his-own-business appearing bird 

 will be hard to find, as also many small articles around camp 

 after one of his visits, for his whimsical brain has a great fancy 

 for anything which may be valuable to you, but perfectly 

 useless to himself" (B. N. O. C. VI. 1881, 140.) 



486. Corvus corax sinuatus. American Raven. 

 Resident; common, locally. More particularly a bird of 



western Colorado, but occurs in the mountains as a not uncom- 

 mon visitant. Has been taken by Capt. P. M. Thorne at Fort 

 Lyon, and even extends occasionally east to western Kansas. 

 Breeds throughout its range, but more commonly in the mount- 

 ains at least to timber-line. Winters from the plains to about 

 10,000 feet. Irregular in its movements. 



487. Corvus cryptoleucus. White-necked Raven. 

 Resident; rare. Formerly common along the eastern base 



of the front range for its entire length in Colorado and from 

 50 to 100 miles out on the plains. Now entirely absent from 

 much of this region. F. M. Dille found nests and eggs May 

 24, 1887, in Weld County, far east of the foothills. There is no 

 other late record north of Boulder, where R. A. Campbell saw 

 them twice in 1894, high up in the foothills. C. E. Aiken says 

 of its range 20 years ago: "I first saw them in October, 1871, 

 about 25 miles south of Cheyenne on the line of the Denver 

 Pacific Railroad where a large flock was hovering over the plain. 

 In the city of Denver I have often seen them searching for 

 food in the less frequented streets, and about 100 miles farther 

 south on the Fontaine Qui Bouille, I have seen immense num- 

 bers. At the latter place a flock of probably 1,000 individuals 

 was resident during the winter of 1871-2. Although so abund- 

 ant in winter, very few are to be seen in summer ; the greater 

 number either pass to the northward or become so distributed 

 over the country as not to attract attention. * * * c. cryptoleu- 

 cus is mainly a bird of the plains, being replaced in the mount- 

 ains by the common raven. The two birds resemble each other 

 so closely, both in notes and habits, that it is difficult to dis- 

 tinguish between them at a distance; the greatest apparent 

 discrepancy being in size, though the croak of carnivorus is 

 somewhat deeper and louder than that of the other. I have 

 sometimes found them both associated in the same flock. Each 

 succeeding year since I first saw these birds I have noticed a 

 marked decrease in their numbers in El Paso County, Colorado. 

 The cause of this I do not know imless it is because as the 

 country becomes more thickly settled, the solitude they love so 

 well is denied them." 



