[AS.] A genus of birds, related to the magpies, nutcrackers, jays, and other forms. The Crows have long, strong, and compressed bills, with the ridge of the mandible more or less curved, and the tip notched; the wings are usually long, the tarsi covered with broad plates, and toes of moderate length. They feed not only on grain and fruit, but on animal substances, and some species on carrion. They all make large nests of sticks, lined with soft hair or down, and lay eggs with dark spots on pale-bluish, greenish, or white ground. True crows include the raven, the carrion crow, the hooded crow, and the rook. The rook and jackdaw are gregarious, the rook nesting on trees, and the jackdaw on high buildings, such. as church towers. The raven, carrion crow, and hooded crow all feed on carrion, and are fond of eggs, and young birds or rabbits. The American crow resembles the carrion crow, but is smaller, and after the breeding season gathers in large flocks. Its fondness for grain and seeds is an annoyance to the farmer, but it repays him by devouring large numbers of worms and larvae. It is one of the most intelligent of birds. The fish crow of the United States is very expert in catching river and sea fish.