THE CROW AND EAVEN 



205 



rather harsh and strident ; but in his native soli- 

 tudes, where bird-sounds are so seldom heard, 

 the voyageur is alwaj^s glad to hear his call. 

 And surely, every perching-bird that chooses to 

 brave the rigors of the northern winter instead of 

 migrating is entitled both to respect and admira- 

 tion. 



The plumage of the Canada Jay has a peculiar 

 fluffy appearance, suggestive of fur. Its pre- 

 vaihng color is ashy-gray. The nape and back 

 of the head are black, but the forehead is marked 

 by a large white spot. The wings and tail are of 

 a darker gray than the bodjf. The home of this 

 interesting bird — the companion of the moose, as 

 well as of forest-haunting man — extends from 

 Nova Scotia, and northern New England, through- 

 out Canada to Manitoba, and northward to the 

 limit of the great forests. 



The Common Crow ^ needs no description. 

 When finer birds were abundant, we cared little 

 for him; but now that bird-life generally has so 

 greatly diminished, we feel like welcoming him 

 as a friend. His cheerful "Caw" is a welcome 

 sound, and his services to the farmer overbal- 

 ance the bad things he perpetrates. The De- 

 partment of Agriculture, through Professor 

 F. E. L. Beal, has officially investigated him, 

 published the court records of his case, and pro- 

 nounced him a bird worthy of protection. It is 

 declared, after an examination of the stomachs 

 of specimens, that the noxious insects destroyed 

 by the Crows — cut-worms, caterpillars, grass- 

 hoppers, and also mice — represent a saving of 

 more grain than the bird consumes. 



It must be admitted, however, that the Crow 

 does many things he should not. He is too fond 

 of eggs, and also of young birds. He will pull 

 up, by the roots, altogether too much newly 

 planted corn ; which is very unfair toward the 

 farmer. While the damage is seldom serious, 

 it is always annoying; but when the Crow passes 

 the limit of human endurance, powder and lead 

 are his portion. For example: when a Crow 

 nesting in Beaver Valley elected to make ■visits 

 to our duck-pond wdiere young wild-ducks were 

 hatching, and take three mallard ducklings in 

 one morning, Curator Beebe was compelled to 

 choose Cjuickly between ducks and Crows, and 

 provide for the survival of the fittest. 



' Cor'vus a-mer-i-can' us . Length, 18 to 20 

 inches. 



The American Raven^ is a bird of the "wild 

 West," ciuite rare, and seldom seen beyond the 

 'mountains. Even when you see it for the first 

 time, you will readily recognize it by its all-black 

 plumage, large size, slow and heavy flight, and 

 its hoarse and seldom "Quock!" The crow is 

 at all times a cheerful citizen, but the Raven 

 always has a sore throat, and is always going 

 to a funeral. 



He fives with Clarke's nut-cracker and the other 

 dwellers on the mountain-tops north of the arid 

 regions of Arizona and New Mexico, and nests 

 in the crevices of high, rugged cliffs or canyon 

 walls that are as completely inaccessible as can 

 be found. He is suspicious of all attentions, 

 wants no companions save of his own kind, and 



PhotugrapheJ by L R W^rken 



cl.4.rke's NTJT-CRACKER. 



mighty few of those. The "Quock " of a Raven 

 in a rock-ribbed and gloomy canyon is anything 

 but a cheerful sound. 



Like the vulture, this bird feeds upon dead 

 animals, dead fish, and sometimes also upon the 

 poisoned meat that wolfers distribute so gen- 

 erously. 



^ Cor'vus co'rax sin-u-a'tus. Length, 22 to 24 

 inches. 



