THE CROW 
is so common, we s have not yet become 
fully acquainted with its more inti- 
-| mate life, and there is always some- 
4 thing new to be seen and recorded by 
| those who are patient and observant. 
: The crow builds its nest of sticks, 
grape-vines, bark, sod, grass, moss, and horsehair. 
The site of the nest is in a tree or tall bush, usually 
more than twenty feet above the ground; near the 
top of some old hemlock is a favorite situation. 
The eggs are pale bluish-green or nearly white, with 
brownish markings. The young crows hatch in 
April or May. Both parents devote themselves to 
the care of the brood for the entire season. 
Except during the breeding season the crows are 
very social. They gather in flocks numbering fifty 
to one thousand individuals. They all roost together, 
usually in pine or hemlock forests, or in other ever- 
green trees. They remain in such roosts during the 
entire winter, coming out each day for food. They 
often make journeys of many miles to thus get their 
“daily bread.’’ When the crows are feeding in the 
field there is usually a sentinel posted on some high 
point; the sentinel is a wise old crow of much ex- 
perience, and he gives the warning of danger when 
the enemy approaches. 
In the wild state, the crow is a general feeder. 
Usually it finds its food upon the ground, taking 
large numbers of grasshoppers, grubs, cutworms, and 
163 
