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reservations to his acceptance of official findings that do not take them 
into consideration. 
Altogether, in the view of the writer, the Crow is pretty nearly as black 
as he is painted. The fact that Mr. Kalmbach rather withholds judgment, 
and gives modified approval when the most adverse factors are unrepre- 
sented in his evidence, suggests that, when all things are considered, the 
Crow will be placed in the category of the undesirable. Certainly there is 
no call to protect the Crow. It is wary, intelligent, adaptive, and well 
able to survive even if every man's hand is turned against it. The most 
strenuous efforts practicable will never imperil the species. As for active 
methods of control, probably the least satisfactory and most expensive one 
is the bounty system. From a purely agricultural point of view, the 
status of the Crow in the west is doubtful. At the best, it is mildly bene- 
ficial, at the worst, but neutral. The Crow question becomes, therefore, 
one for the sportsman rather than the farmer. The policy of public boun- 
ties and taxing the general public for the benefit of a particular class is 
a questionable one. Could it be regarded as a permanent investment, if 
the species would stay reduced when once brought to a normal number, 
it might be differently viewed and the expense justified as for the general 
good. But the relief is only temporary and unless continued year after 
year as a running expense, is of no permanent benefit. It behooves the 
sportsman to protect his own sport and to take the burden of controlling 
one of the worst game destroyers. 
491. Clarke’s Nuta*acker. clarke’s crow. Nudfraga columbiana. L, 12-50. 
Plate XLV B. A heavily-built jay-like bird without crest, uniformly smoky grey body, 
Blightly whitening to face, with black wings and centre tail feathers. Extensive white 
tips to secondaries and white outertail feathers and undertail coverts. 
Distinctions. The Shrikes are the only species this bird resembles in colour, but the 
Nutcracker is much larger and has no black bar through eye (Compare with Plate LX VI A). 
Field Marks. A large grey bird, with black wings and much white in tail. Of Jay- 
like habits, and very noisy and talkative. 
Nesting. Nest a large structure of sticks in the lower branches of conifers on the 
mountain sides. 
Distribution. Western North America. In Canada, throughout the mountain regions 
from Alaska through British Columbia, south mostly east of the Coast range. East, 
casually as far as Saskatchewan. 
Clarke's Nutcracker, named after the junior leader of the Lewis and 
Clarke expedition that first brought the species to the attention of science, 
is one of the most interesting birds of the mountains. It comes into camp 
almost as freely as its relative, the Canada Jay or Whiskey Jack, and like 
it in some localities is called “Camp Robber.” It is a very noisy and talk- 
ative bird, with many queer antics. One of the best places to study this 
species is in the Banff National park. Here almost any morning in summer 
its harsh voice is one of the first sounds that steals in through the 
bedroom windows and by following the sound, one may soon come upon a 
small party performing their peculair gymnastics and loudly discussing 
neighbourhood topics in the evergreens near at hand. 
FAMILY — STURNIDAE. TRUE STARLINGS 
The True Starlings constitute an Old World family separated from 
the American Starlings by having, among other distinctions, ten instead of 
nine primaries. In the only species here considered, an introduced species, 
the first primary is rudimentary. 
