206 Zerega on the Northern Range of the Fish Crow . 
doubt that one third of the Crows that fly about the Lower Bay of 
New York are C. ossifragus. This remark may at first seem ex- 
travagant, but it is nevertheless true, as may be seen from the fact 
that, out of some twenty-six Crows killed during the past year, with- 
out regard to species, between Sandy Hook and Seabright, N. J., 
eleven were Fish Crows. 
These birds are not so suspicious as Corvtcs americanus. Mr. 
Keeler shot most of the specimens that were killed by him from the 
cover of a “blind” over “decoys” (which are simply pieces of 
blackened pasteboard of bird shape, set up at different angles, so as 
to present a side toward each direction). As the Crows fly over, they 
see the “ decoys,” and, supposing the place to be a good feeding- 
ground, fly towards it ; I have even seen Common Crows alight be- 
fore discovering their mistake. 
On the 17th of March, 1880, Mr. Keeler “winged” a Fish Crow, 
and, after carefully dressing the wound, put his bird in a large wire 
cage in a corner of the conservatory, where he became quite tame, 
and, after a time, was permitted to roam at will about the house 
and grounds ; but he always returned at the close of the afternoon 
to his wire cage. This Crow was very fond of cheese, especially 
such as was hard and dry : if a large piece was given to him, he 
would hold it upon the perch with his claws, and then strike, ap- 
parently with might and main, at the cheese with his bill, until the 
piece was broken into morsels small enough to be devoured, which 
he would then swallow, often choking in his haste. Some Bantam 
fowls were in the habit of roosting on the Crow’s cage ; this seemed 
to cause him great annoyance, and he made several attempts to 
drive the fowls away. One morning, when Mr. Keeler went as 
usual to feed his pet, he found a large hole in the top of the cage, 
and the remains of a Bantam hen below. The fowl had been par- 
tially eaten, and many of its feathers were lying in scattered bunches 
about the bottom of the cage. Corvus, evidently, was the author of 
this mischief, for his bill was stained with gore, to which some of 
the fowl’s feathers were sticking ; while he held his victim’s head 
upon the perch with his claws, having already succeeded in decapi- 
tating it, and wuth immense delight was devouring the brains. The 
diet of these birds, when wild, consists chiefly of dead fishes, clams, 
shrimps, and other marine food, and to this the stomachs of nine 
dissected Fish Crows bore evidence ; and, although we found Com- 
mon Crows feeding upon the carcass of a dead horse in numbers, in 
