NOliTB AMERICAN BIRDS. 



333 



is sometimes made up of strips of cedar or juniper bark, dead leaves, sheep's wool, 

 feathers, or skunk's hair. Quite often in some loca^ties, especially in the Eastern 

 States, pine needles are used for lining; while in many other localities, where the 

 surroundings will permit the use of this material, it is not used at all. Much binder 

 twin* is made use of in the West. Rev. P. B. Peabody, Owatonma, Minn., writes: 'It 

 has apparently become as indispensable as nesting material to the Crow as sn^ake- 

 skins are to the Crested Flycatcher.* " The nesting season is in April and 

 May, or June, and sometimes even in March. From four to six, and occasionally 

 seven eggs are laid. These vary from a pale bluish to an olive-green, and from 



488. American Grow (After Audubon) . 



almost unmarked specimens to those which appear of a uniform olive-green, so dense 

 and small are the markings. The typical egg, however, is of a light sea-green, 

 thickly spotted and blotched with dark brown, almost black, with purplish reflec- 

 tions; these are chiefly about the larger end. Mr. Burns gives the measurement of 

 three hundred and twenty eggs from New York State as follows: Maximum, 2.03x 

 1.33; minimum, 1.43x1.08; average, 1.65x1.15 inches. 



488a. PLOBIDA CB.OW. 



Southern Florida. 



Corms americcmua floridantts Baird. Geog. Dist. — 



