Corvus ossifragus. Fish Crow. — “ Stratford,” Conn. , Linsley (1. c.). 
“ An occasional visitor along the southern coast of the State of Massachu- 
setts.” (J. A. Allen, 1. c.) “Very rare visitor in summer” to Massachu- 
setts. (E. A. Samuels, Descriptive Catalogue of the Birds of Mass., in 
Eept. of Sec. Board of Agriculture of Mass, for 1863.) “ A rare summer 
visitor, chiefly along the more southern portions of the coast” of New 
England. (Coues, Proc. Ess. Inst., V, 1868.) “Coast of the United States, 
from New England to Florida.” (Coues, Birds of the Northwest.) And 
now, as confirmatory of the above, Mr. Brewster gives an instance of his 
seeing it in Cambridge, March 16, 1875. (See this Bulletin, Vol. I, p. 19.) 
* Bull. N.O.C. 2, Jan., 1877. p. 'J. 
The Fish Crow ( Corvus ossifragus ) in Connecticut. — I have the pleas- 
ure of recording a few notes on the Fish Crow in this State. For several 
years I have detected birds of the Crow family along the shore, which, 
from the notes, method of flight, and apparently smaller size almost con- 
vinced me they were Fish Crows, but until this season had no opportunity 
to verify the belief. On the loth of May I killed a fine specimen in an 
extensive tract of swampy woods bordering a salt marsh in Stratford, and 
saw two others at the same time ; the latter, being highly excited at the 
disappearance of the other, circled about some time calling loudly but 
finally quieted without offering a shot. Many times afterward I saw the 
birds, and others, seeing no less than four at one time (May 29), all mature 
birds. The one secured, although a male, showed evidence of having 
assisted in incubation, but owing to the dense and almost impassable 
nature of this swamp no nest was found. 
In Fairfield, a pair was seen many times, and a nest found before it was 
entirely finished, but I watched them so persistently that they soon de- 
serted. They must have reared young elsewhere, as subsequently on sev- 
eral occasions previous to the middle of June they exhibited much alarm 
at my approach, circling about overhead by the hour in a highly vexed and 
tireless fashion, following me sometimes for half a mile. Although I saw 
no young I need no better evidence than their actions to convince me that 
they were breeding. 
Linsley in his ‘Catalogue of the Birds of Connecticut’ gave the Fish 
Crow as occurring at “Stratford,” but added no further remarks. Within 
one or two years others have been taken here, of which no record has been 
published. It is not common, but it may be called not a rare bird, and I 
think has been largely overlooked from its resemblance to Corvus ameri- 
canus. I feel confident the species also winters here, as I have several 
times seen what certainly appeared to be Fish Crows, feeding on the sand 
bars at low tide, retiring to the woods at high tide, and never associating 
with the common species. — Edwin H. Eames, Bridgeport , Connecticut. 
Much more suspicious than the common species, they force themselves 
upon the attention long before the nest is in sight, in most cases in this 
vicinity. April 29, at Fairfield, one sat by a nest eighty feet from the 
ground, and confessed ownership of its young in the latter part of May. 
On May 12 I took a set of four fresh eggs from a nest seventy-five feet 
above the ground. This had been commenced in April, and its com- 
pletion delayed at least two weeks. May 16 I took five nearly fresh eggs 
of the Fish Crow and one of the Robin from a nest near the summit of 
an isolated white pine tree in a recent clearing of hardwood growth. Tall 
timber near by seemed to them less attractive. The female being shot, 
its mate remained sorrowfully calling for several days, when it again 
mated and probably met with better success, as they could be seen there 
till July. A set of five eggs was taken at Mt. Vernon, New York, May 
15, 1888, from a nest fully sixty-five feet from the ground, in low, wet 
woods. They were somewhat common there at that time. 
