1910| The Ottawa Naturalisi. 199 



May U. Among the male birds that habitually feed the 

 females while they are nesting, Crows and Chickadees are notable 

 examples. The former does so throughout the brooding period, 

 and it is a strange fact that the hen bird reverts to that method 

 of calling for food so characteristic of the young, with the same 

 excitement and fluttering of wings vrhen food is brought within 

 viev/. The Chickadee goes still further and feeds his mate with 

 nice juicy caterpillars weeks before she commences to lay. He, 

 also, like the Crow, takes an active share in nest building. 

 Blue Jays likev/ise become very polite to the females by procuring 

 food before and when she is brooding. They make an extremel}' 

 affectionate couple at this time of year and can constantly be 

 heard talking softly together. I believe there are few, if any, 

 Canadian birds that have such a complete code of signals. 



May 30. The Redbacked Cutworm is doing an immense 

 amount of damage to growing grain, and our friends the Crows 

 are once more at work for their own benefit and incidentally ours. 

 From 18 to 32 v/ere counted together at different times to-day 

 on an infested field, and close inspection shows where they have 

 dug the Cutworms out, while watching detects many a beak full 

 being taken to the nests. 



Crows have by no means a good reputation, especially in 

 corn belts, or among sportsmen, who accuse them of much 

 damage to winged game through eating eggs and young, but the 

 injury is much exaggerated. We are apt to overlook the good 

 deeds, as the picking up of small objects, such as noxious insects; 

 whereas, to see a Crow fly off v.nth a young bird is much more 

 likely to attract attention, espec lally if the parents are attempt- 

 ing some sort of defence. As to the destruction of eggs of Grouse 

 by Crov.'s, these birds are so admirably suited in colour fo- 

 concealment that it is onlv on very rare occasions, provided the 

 birds are not otherwise disturbed, that their nests are discovereo. 



July 14. Found the nest of an Ovenbird in woods near 

 some large aspens. It was of a dome shape, rather elliptical in 

 outline, and so remarkably well const rudcd outside with dead 

 leaves and grass, that it would almost surely have passed for a 

 slight rise in the ground had I not flushed the bird. Inside the 

 nest were four voung, .surrounded by a lining of fine grass and 

 horsehair. 



July 15. Several Crows have been found dead recently, 

 apparentlv in good condition. They seem to have died suddenly. 

 sometimes while flying, but I could discover no cause for this. 

 If the death role has been as high in other parts, many thousands 

 must have perished. 



July 27. Three more Crows found dead, two full grown 



