loo OUR WINTER BIRDS 



in the scale of life than some animals. It is his abil- 

 ity to communicate with his fellows that has helped 

 to develop his mind. So perhaps we may believe that 

 the Crow's intelligence is related to his powers of 

 speech. 



If Crows are avoided by other birds, they at least 

 show a great liking for the society of one another. 

 It is only when nesting that Crows are not found in 

 companies. Then they scatter to build their large 

 nests of sticks lined with cedar or grape-vine bark, 

 grass, moss, etc., usually about thirty feet above the 

 ground. They are very silent near their nests. One 

 never hears a Crow voicing its protest against a 

 trespasser as the Robin and Catbird do. 



The four to six eggs, which are laid about the 

 middle of April, are bluish green, thickly marked 

 with shades of brown. 



Perhaps the Crow does not nest in colonies be- 

 cause he is too wise to place his eggs, as it were, all 

 in one basket, where they could be found and de- 

 stroyed more easily than if he were to hide them 

 at widely separated places. However this may be, 

 as soon as the young can fly the birds gather in loose 

 companies. From the northern boundary of the 

 United States southward Crows are found through- 

 out the year ; but most of those in the more northern 

 states go to the Middle States for the winter. In 



