114 Henshaw on the Nest and Eggs of the Blue Crow. 
facts ; but his experience was limited to the discovery of the nests 
and young, which he found fully fledged as early as April 21. This 
was in 1868, and the eggs remained undescribed till 1875, when 
Mr. Aiken secured a nest with its complement in Colorado. 
For additional information concerning the nests and eggs of this 
curious bird we are indebted to the zeal of Mr. H. G. Parker of Car- 
son City, Nev., who during the past spring has visited a breeding 
colony on the same range of low pinon-covered hills where nine 
years ago Mr. Ridgwaj^ obtained his facts respecting their nests. 
This is a locality perfectly typical of the tastes of the bird, and here 
they have maintained their hold for an indefinite term of years, and 
reared many successive generations of young. Mr. Parker visited 
the locality during the latter part of March, and found the pairs 
then leisurely at work making their nests. On the 5th of April he 
found the females sitting, and took two nests, one with three, the 
other with four eggs. One of the nests with its complement, pre- 
sented by Mr. Parker to the Smithsonian Institution, is now before 
me, and offers the following description : To begin with, it is a 
really handsome structure, and indicates a higher order of construc- 
tive ability than is usual in the Jay family. It is strongly made, 
and though somewhat bulky and Jay -like externally, is more com- 
pact and deeper, with higher sides than is ordinarily seen. As a 
matter of course, the pinon-tree being almost the only living thing 
found on these dry and desolate hills, the nest is made up largely 
of twigs from this tree, which were evidently, as shown by the fresh 
ends, broken off by the birds, not gathered from the ground. These 
are interlocked firmly, so as to afford an admirable supporting base 
for the nest proper. Here again the birds have had recourse to the 
pinon, and have utilized long strips of the tough, fibrous, but soft 
bark which make up the bulk of the lining. Fine shreddings of 
the same and a few straws nicely arranged complete the interior. 
The external diameter of the nest is nine and one half inches ; in- 
ternal, four ; depth, three. The eggs are of a greenish-white color, 
profusely spotted everywhere with small blotches of light brown 
and purple. In one specimen the brown shows a faint reddish 
tinge. Towards the larger ends the markings become more numer- 
ous, and near the apex show a decided tendency, so usual in spotted 
eggs, to form a confluent ring. They measure 1.27X.87, 1.27X.88, 
1.27X.87, 1.23X.87. They thus appear to correspond very closely 
with Mr. Aiken’s set, and show only slight variations in size. They 
