THE CROW AND RAVEN 
205 
rather harsh and strident ; but in his native soli- 
tudes, where bird-sounds are so seldom heard, 
the voyageur is always glad to hear his call. 
And surely, every perching-bird that chooses to 
brave the rigors of the northern winter instead of 
migrating is entitled both to respect and admira- 
tion. 
The plumage of the Canada Jay has a peculiar 
fluffy appearance, suggestive of fur. Its pre- 
vailing color is ashy-gray. The nape and back 
of the head are black, but the forehead is marked 
by a large white spot. The wings and tail are of 
a darker gray than the body. The home of this 
interesting bird — the companion of the moose, as 
well as of forest-haunting man — extends from 
Nova Scotia, and northern New England, through- 
out Canada to Manitoba, and northward to the 
limit of the great forests. 
The Common Crow 1 needs no description. 
When finer birds were abundant, we cared little 
for him; but now that bird-life generally has so 
greatly diminished, we feel like welcoming him 
as a friend. His cheerful “Caw” is a welcome 
sound, and his services to the farmer overbal- 
ance the bad things he perpetrates. The De- 
partment of Agriculture, through Professor 
F. E. L. Beal, has officially investigated him, 
published the court records of his case, and pro- 
nounced him a bird worthy of protection. It is 
declared, after an examination of the stomachs 
of specimens, that the noxious insects destroyed 
by the Crows — cut-worms, caterpillars, grass- 
hoppers, and also mice — represent a saving of 
more grain than the bird consumes. 
It must be admitted, however, that the Crow 
does many things he should not. He is too fond 
of eggs, and also of young birds. He will pull 
up, by the roots, altogether too much newly 
planted corn ; which is very unfair toward the 
farmer. While the damage is seldom serious, 
it is always annoying; but when the Crow passes 
the limit of human endurance, powder and lead 
are his portion. For example: when a Crow 
nesting in Beaver Valley elected to make -visits 
to our duck-pond where young wild-ducks were 
hatching, and take three mallard ducklings in 
one morning, Curator Beebe was compelled to 
choose quickly between ducks and Crows, and 
provide for the survival of the fittest. 
1 Cor'vus a-mer-i-can'us. Length, 18 to 20 
inches. 
The American Raven 2 is a bird of the “wild 
West,” quite rare, and seldom seen beyond the 
mountains. Even when you see it for the first 
time, you will readily recognize it by its all-black 
plumage, large size, slow and heavy flight, and 
its hoarse and seldom “Quock!” The crow is 
at all times a cheerful citizen, but the Raven 
always has a sore throat, and is always going 
to a funeral. 
He lives with Clarke’s nut-cracker and the other 
dwellers on the mountain-tops north of the arid 
regions of Arizona and New Mexico, and nests 
in the crevices of high, rugged cliffs or canyon 
walls that are as completely inaccessible as can 
be found. He is suspicious of all attentions, 
wants no companions save of his own kind, and 
Photographed by E. R. Wakren. 
clarke’s nut-cracker. 
mighty few of those. The “Quock” of a Raven 
in a rock-ribbed and gloomy canyon is anything 
but a cheerful sound. 
Like the vulture, this bird feeds upon dead 
animals, dead fish, and sometimes also upon the 
poisoned meat that wolfers distribute so gen- 
erously. 
2 Cor'vus co'rax sin-u-a'tus. Length, 22 to 24 
inches. 
