129 



SUB-FAMILY. CoRviDyE, the Crows. 



COR VUS. Linnteus. 



The crows are uniform lustrous black throughout, including the bill and feet ; 

 the tail is much shorter than the long, pointed wings. 



127. C. CORAX. L. Raven, Feathers of throat narrow and lanceolate, stif. 

 fened, elongated, their outlines very distinct; L. 25; W. 17 ; T. 10. The raven is 

 rare east of the Mississippi. It frequents the sand hills along the shores of Lake 

 Michigan from October until spring, eating the dead fish thrown up by the lake. 



128. C. AMERICANUS. Aud. Crow. Throat feathers short, broad, obtuse, 

 with their necks blended; gloss of plumage purplish violet. L. 20; W. 13; T. 7. 

 Common resident; rarer north, breeding in the scrub pines and roaming about in 

 small flocks in the winter. 



CYANURUS. Swainson. Blue Jays. 



129. C. CRIST ATUS. Sw. Blue; collar and frontlet black; grayish below ; 

 wings and tail clear blue-barred; outer tail feathers and secondaries tipped with 

 white; L. 12; W. 5>^ ; T. S^- 



Very common resident. When protected, nests close to houses, and becomes 

 very familiar, jays are loquacious birds, non-migratory, principally vegetarians, 

 eating seeds, hard fruits, and berries ; they also suck eggs, despoiling many a 

 pretty nest. 



The Canada jay and magpie may have been winter visitants at an earlier day in 

 the northern part of the State. 



FAMILY XIX. TYEANNID^. 



Tarsus " clamatorial," the scutella extending around its back. Primaries 10; 

 bill broad, triangular, depressed, abruptly hooked and notched at tip, with large 

 rictal bristles; commissure nearly straight; nostril small, usually partly concealed. 

 Mouth capacious ; notes simple, often pleasant ; changes of plumage slight ; ours 

 mostly olivaceous. 



A large family of eighty genera, and more than three species; all American and 

 mostly tropical. Most of them are.pre-eminently insectivorous; they are, therefore, 

 in our latitude migratory. May be known by their habit of standing perched upon 

 some prominent outpost, waiting for their prey, with the wings and tail drooped 

 ready for action. They dash into the air, catch the passing insect with a click of 

 the bill and return to the same perch and wait for another. 



TYRANNUS. Cuvier. King Birds. 



130. T, CAROLINENSIS. Bd. Bee Martin. Shorter than wings; crown 

 -with concealed bright, yellowish orange crest (in adult.) Color blackish ash, white 

 below; L. 8^; W. 41^; T. 3)^. A common summer resident from May to early 

 autumn. It has been seen to dive in the water (as kingfishers do) catching aquatic 

 insects. 



9 HOET. Soc. 



