AMERICAN CROW. 277 



some more civilized regions, it bears a rather uncanny character, and 

 many and strange are the shapes it assumes in the folklore of the 

 natives of these far-off shores." 



Eskimos and Indians unite in accusing this bird of pecking out 

 the eyes of new-born reindeer and afterwards killing them. That 

 they are notoriously mischievous in robbing traps of bait, is well 

 known throughout the fur countries, though the thief sometimes pays 

 the penalty by getting a foot in the trap. 



Liitke tells us that "the Ravens are the brigands of Sitka. No 

 poultry can be raised, as the Ravens devour the fledglings as fast as 

 they appear, making only one mouthful of them. The porker^ are 

 too big to be overcome in the same manner, and the Ravens have to 

 satisfy their greediness by keeping the pigs' tails close cropped. This 

 is why the Sitka pigs have no tails." In spite of this ancient perse- 

 cution, Mr. Dall assures us that the Sitka pigs of the present day 

 have the caudal appendage of the usual length. 



CORA^'US AMERICANUS Aud. 

 200. American Crow. (488) 



Color, uniform lustrous black, including the bill and feet ; nasal bristles 

 about half as long as the bill ; throat feathers, oval and blended ; no naked 

 space on cheeks. Length, 18-20 ; wing, 13-14 ; tall, about 8 ; bill, 1.75. 



Hab. — North America, from the fur countries to Mexico. 



Nest, in trees, built of sticks and twigs, lined with moss, strips of bark and 

 fine grass. 



Kggs, four to six, green, spotted and blotched with blackish-brown. 



While the Raven prefers to frequent the uncleared parts of the 

 country, the Crow delights in the cultivated districts, where, in the 

 opinion of the farmer, his services could well be dispensed with. 

 Though exposed to continued persecution, he knows the range of the 

 gun accurately, and is wide awake to the intention of all sorts of 

 ambuscades planned for his destruction, so that he thrives and 

 increases in number as the country gets more thickly settled. The 

 Crows mostly leave Ontario at the approach of cold weather, but 

 should the carcase of a dead animal be exposed, even in the depth of 

 winter, it is curious to observe how quickly it will be visited by a few 

 individuals of this species, which are probably remaining in sheltered 

 parts of the woods, and have some means of finding out where a feast 



