OUR HOME BIRDS. 
125 
of horse-hair, besides cow-hair and wool, making it, 
in fact, a regular spring-bed among birds' nests. It 
has four pale-green eggs, thickly speckled and blotch- 
ed with olive. 
“ These eggs are watched over with the utmost care 
by both parents, and while his mate is sitting the 
male will often make excursions of half a mile or so 
to see if any one is approaching. On the slightest 
alarm both will go off to some distance, evidently to 
conceal the existence of the nest where they have been 
sitting ; and until the young are able to fly they are 
the most quiet of birds, for fear of drawing attention 
to their retreat. The crow regularly carries food to 
his mate while she is sitting, and occasionally relieves 
her of this duty ; so that we have already discovered 
something good about him. 
“ One funny habit that these birds have is that, as 
autumn approaches, ‘ the parent-crows, with their new 
families, forsaking their solitary lodgings, collect to- 
gether, as if by previous agreement, when evening 
approaches. About an hour before sunset they are 
first observed, flying somewhat in Indian file, in one 
direction, at a short height above the tops of the trees, 
silent and steady, keeping the general curvature of 
the ground, continuing to pass sometimes till after 
sunset, so that the whole line of march would extend 
for many miles. 
