CLARKE'S NUTCRACKER. 313 



up the valley, one of these birds left the high timber and flew across to the other side. 

 Its direct and silent flight suggested that it might be going to its nest, and that I had 

 been looking in the wrong locality. Accordingly, with renewed hope, I started early 

 next morning to the hill where I had seen it go. After climbing over the rocks and 

 through the bushes for some time I sat down to rest, when I noticed something on a 

 tree about thirty feet away that looked more like a squirrel's nest than anything else. 

 On closer inspection, however, I saw that it was a bird's nest, and climbing up a short 

 distance, was delighted to find a Clarke's Crow sitting on its nest. She sat very close, 

 only leaving w^hen touched by my hand. The nest was built near the end of a hori- 

 zontal limb, about ten feet from the ground, in an open, conspicuous situation. It w^as 

 bulky, coarsely constructed, and very deeply hollowed, the bird when on it showing only 

 part of her bill and tail, pointing almost directly upward. She was soon joined by her 

 mate, when, after hopping about in a listless manner for a few minutes, both disappeared. 

 They were silent when near their nest, but noisy enough elsewhere. On further search 

 I found several old nests and one new one, apparently abandoned. AH were similar in 

 construction and situation to the one described, and evidently belonged to the same 

 species. The nest with young was found May 21. From finding these nests, and from 

 other observations made, I am satisfied that Clarke's Crow breeds in open, warm situa- 

 tions, preferring steep hill-sides ; had I known this earlier I believe tl»at I should have 

 found more of their nests." 



The color of the eggs is light grayish-green, irregularly spotted and blotched with 

 a deeper shade of gray, chiefly at the larger end. 



I{AMES: Clarke's Nutcracker, Clarke's Crow. 



SCIENTIFIC NAMES: Corvus columbianus Wilson (1811). NUCIFRAGA COLUMBIANA Acd. (1838). 

 PicicoTvus columbianus Bonap. (1850). 



DESCRIPTION: General color, bluish-ash; forehead, chin, sides of the head, especially round the eye, white; 

 wings, greenish-black; tail, white, upper tail-coverts, greenish-black. 

 Length, 12.00 inches; wing, 7.00; tail, 4.30 inches. 



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