294 Birds of Colorado 
Horse Creek, forty miles east of Colorado Springs, 
on the plains. The eggs, according to Bendire, are 
usually four to six in number, and though varying a good 
deal in colour and markings, are usually greenish, with 
characteristic longitudinal, rather fine streaks and 
blotches of lilac and drab. They average 1°74 x 119 
in measurement. 
Western Crow. Corvus brachyrhynchos hesperis. 
A.O.U. Checklist no 448b—Colorado Records—Ridgway 79, p. 230 
(C. americanus); Stephens 78, p. 94; Drew 81, p. 143; 85, p. 16; 
Dille 86, p. 15; 03, p. 74; Morrison 88, p. 107; 89, p. 147; Burns 
95, pp. 1-41; Barrows & Schwarz 95, pp. 1-98; Cooke 97, pp. 92, 
210; Gilman 07, p. 155; Markman 08, p. 157; Warren 09, p. 15; 
Henderson 09, p. 233. ; 
Description.—Adult—Plumage black throughout with a gloss of 
metallic purple; feathers of the throat not elongate or lanceolate ; 
iris brown, bill and legs black. Length 17-0; wing 11-70; tail 7-0; 
culmen 1:80; tarsus 2-15. The female is slightly smaller than 
the male; the young bird is -duller and less glossy, and has a 
greyish iris. 
Distribution.—The Western Crow only differs from the Crow of the 
east in its slightly smaller size and more slender bill. It is found 
throughout western North America (except the north-western coast 
from Puget Sound northwards) from British Columbia to south-west 
Texas, and is a resident except perhaps in the extreme south, where 
it is not known to breed. 
In Colorado the Crow is almost unknown except in the north-east 
and south-western parts of the State, where, however, it is compara- 
tively common and resident. It is abundant near Fort Collins (Cooke) 
and breeds commonly near Greeley (Dille) ; it has been found nesting 
on Clear Creek in Jefferson co., near Denver. It has been noticed on 
one or two occasions in Boulder co. (Henderson). Near Colorado 
Springs it is very rare; there are two examples in the Aiken collection, 
one a partial albino, from the immediate neighbourhood of the Springs, 
and another from the upper valley of the Monument Creek twenty 
miles to the north, obtained in November. Stephens secured several 
in South Park in October some years ago. In La Plata co. in the 
extreme south-west corner of the State it has been recorded as common, 
especially in winter, by Drew, Morrison and Gilman, and near Coventry 
in spring and fall by Warren, but no nest was found. It does not seem 
to ascend above 8,000 feet at the most. 
