Bird-life - a guide to the study of our common birds (1901) (14750091744)

Identifier: birdlifeguidech00chap (find matches)

Title: Bird-life : a guide to the study of our common birds

Year: 1901 (1900s)

Authors: Chapman, Frank M. (Frank Michler), 1864-1945 Seton, Ernest Thompson, 1860-1946

Subjects: Birds -- United States

Publisher: New York : D. Appleton

Text Appearing Before Image:

America) are not members of the suborder ofSong Birds. If, however, the relative intelligence of the two fam-ilies be taken into account, there can be no doubt thatCorvidcB fully deserve to be considered the most highlydeveloped of birds. How many tales are told of thehuman actions of the Raven, Rook, Jackdaw, Magpie,Jay, and Crow! Of the two hundred members of this family, six in-habit eastern Korth America, by far the most commonbeing the Crow, l^o one of our birds„ . is better known, and still, how ignorant Uorvus amencanus. ^ o we are of his ways! I am not surethat he does not know more about ours. We have noteven recorded his notes, for, in spite of the current opin-ion that the Crows calls are restricted to caw, he has anextended vocabulary. I am not aware that he everascerids to the height of a love song, but that he canconverse fluently no one who has listened to him willquestion. Of the variants of caw, each with its ownsignificance, there seems no end; but if you would be

Text Appearing After Image:

Plate XLVII. P^ge 144. FOX SPARROW. Length, 7-25 inches. Upper parts, wings, and tail bright reddishbrovs-n ; back and head mixed with a browner color; under parts whiteand bright reddish brown. AMERICAN CROW. 129 impressed with the Crows eloquence you must hear himwhen, in the fancied privacy of his own flock or family,he discusses the affairs of the day. His notes then arelow, and so varied in tone that one can not douht theirconversational character. During the winter Crows assemble in large flockscontaining many thousand individuals, who nightly re-turn to some roost, which perhaps has been frequentedfor years. In March they begin to pair and the nest isconstructed early in April. It is a bulky affair ofsticks, lined chiefly with grapevine bark, and is placed ina tree, usually about thirty feet from the ground. Thefour to six eggs are bluish green, thickly marked withshades of brown. Crows share with Hawks the reputation of beingharmful birds. That they do much damage in the corn-

bird life a guide to the study of our common birds 1901 book illustrations ornithology birds zoological illustration high resolution images from internet archive

1901

Brown University Library

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public domain