1891-92]. ORNITHOLOGICAL UKPORT. 59 



feeds on small seeds, wheat, and occasionally a worm. Occasionally on a 

 bright day I have found it running from one end of the cage to the 

 other, flipping its wings, and chirping as if in the height of enjoyment. 

 It sometimes sings in confinement, and always has a faint chirp which it 

 keeps up all night. I have frequently found it with its head under its 

 wing, chirping about once a minute. 



Corvus aniericana. — Crow. Of all the birds kept by myself, and 

 friends, the crow takes the lead for mischief. To tell of all the antics of 

 this bird would fill a volume ; so I will just give a few of his principal 

 traits. He will not be contented in a cage, but must have the yard, shed, 

 fences, and sometimes the kitchen, where he wanders about seeking what 

 he may steal. My Crow when I fed him would eat what he required, 

 and put the remainder through a hole in the fence to a dog in the next 

 yard. At last the dog got to bark for his meat, but the Crow fixed him ; 

 he would put the meat up to the hole, and as soon as the dog put his 

 nose there he received a ferocious dig from the big black beak that sent 

 him away howling, only to return in a few minutes for another. When 

 he was not fed regularly he would perch on my fish-tank, and watch till 

 a fish came near the top, when he would immediately seize and swallow 

 it. In that way he ran down my stock of fish considerably before I 

 discovered the cause ; and when I put a net over the tank he got on it 

 and tried with might and main to dig a hole through it, but did not 

 succeed. 



Molothrus ater. — The Cowbird takes readily to a cage, becoming quiet 

 and contented in about a week, but is very unsociable. Should any other 

 bird approach him he snaps at it viciously, generally depriving it of some 

 feathers ; he accompanies every snap with a kind of " chuck " and if 

 victorious hops to his mate and tries to express his love for her with a 

 spluttering "cree." They eat any kind of seed in confinement and when 

 let out in the yard devour any insects they come across. 



Sternella magna.— Meadowlark. This bird when first caged will 

 starve itself until almost able to squeeze through the bars, but eventually 

 resigns itself and takes to feeding. On the slightest excitement it dashes 

 against the wires in great alarm and finding escape impossible generally 

 hides in a corner. When walking it stands up very straight, the back 

 being almost at right angle with the ground. At every step he opens and 

 closes the tail shewing the white feather at every spread. While in my 

 possession he killed and partly eat a Shorelark, a White-throated Spar- 

 row, and badly injured a Pine Grosbeak. 



Ooccothraustes vespertina. — The Evening Grosbeak takes readily 

 to the cage but does not associate with any of the inmates. Generally be- 

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