14() Hli;i)s. 



food daily and so he is aide of" course to cat ii(» small 

 luimbcr of birds and cuns dui-iiia- the season. Mi . Saiii- 

 iiel's calculation i»ives, as the I'csult of one day's work foi* 

 a irow, the di'struction of l»irds that could fairly l)c pre- 

 sumed to have destroyed durinii" llu- season nearly lOO, 

 000 insects had they live(l. After the corn has urown 

 too larn'c ;ind the hi ids have flown from the nest the crow 

 hetakes himself auain to the search for insects and l)e- 

 comes a useful memher of society. l>ut. as his e\il deeds 

 are far iireater than hi> i^ood ones, we must set iiiin down 

 as an outlaw. An ingenious mode of catchini'' these birds 

 is ofiven h\ Wilson. A li\'e crow is securely fastened to 

 the "ifround with his feet upwards. In thi> condition his 

 cries are loud and fre(|uent. As soon as other crows fly 

 down about him he i^rasps them hopiiii;- to relie\-e himself 

 of the fetters that hold him to the <:round and in this way 

 the })risoner may l»c taken and the trap is all set for an- 

 other. 



The JUiie da\ is iiuilty of simihir inisdcineaiiors. for 

 this bird d(dii!hts to rob the nests of the 'I'hrushes and 

 \\'arblers of both eniis and yoniii;'. It also dcNours in- 

 sects, })eech nuts and othei' seeds and fruits. Ivjually as 

 liuilty of robl)ini;- the nests of insect eatinii' liirds is the 

 Canaihi day. This bird is not c(>niinon except in the 

 northern part ot"thc state. .Mr. Sainiiels says thai he has 

 known a [)air of these birds to carry off the younu' of four 

 nests of tile Snow IJird in one forencjon. 



Besides these three uroups, the ('rows, the Blackbirds 

 and the »Iays there are a few other birds that are to some 

 exti'iit injurious and in sayiuii' this I of course do not 

 mean that no others are ever iiuilly of dama_<>inii" fruit oi" 

 crops, but that in these the injury done is not compensa- 

 ted by any e\uivaleiit benefit us it is in the ease of the 

 others. The Purple Finch, thouaii a fine lookinii" l)ird, 

 is disliked on acc(nint of liis hal)it of feeding:- on the buds 

 and blossoms of fruit trees. Tlie Great Northern Shrike, 

 or Butcher bird is indirectly injurious, at least sometim(!s, 



