Rural School Leaflet. 1039 



grapevine bark, and the like. The material is carried in the bill, never 

 by the feet. 



2. The eggs are light green spotted with dark green, brown, or black. 

 They are about the size of a small hen's egg. 



3. Young crows stay in the nest about three weeks. 



4. The young crows can fly fairly well, generally, if not frightened 

 from the nest too soon. 



5. a — Experiments in feeding have shown that a young crow requires 

 food equal to one-half his own weight each day, and would cat more 

 if he could get it. 



b — To prevent the crows from eating the corn the seed is sometimes 

 soaked in coal-tai or creosote. This does not destroy the germinating 

 quality of the corn. Soaking in coal tar has been tried more or less 

 successfully on a Uirge scale. 



6. Except during the nesting season the crows are in flocks. 



7. In New York State the crows generally go a little south but 

 others from the north rej)lace them so that they are with us all 

 winter. ^ 



8. The roost is generally in some selected grove of trees, to and from 

 which, evening and morning, all of the crows of a neighborhood may 

 be seen flying. They spend the night together. 



Note. — Pupils should be encouraged to get as much information as 

 possible by direct observation. 



Suggestions for the pupils. — 



1 . Where does the crow nest ? Of what is the nest composed ? Where 

 does the crow find the material and how does he carry it? 



2. What color are crow's eggs and how large are they? 



3. How long do the young crows stay in the nest? 



4. Can they fly well as soon as they leave the nest? 



5. A young crow makes a very amusing and instructive pet. If 

 one could be kept in the schoolroom for a few days, some very instruc- 

 tive feeding experiments could be performed. 



a — How much food, such as grasshoppers, grubs, and the like, will he 

 eat in a single day? 



b — How can grain be treated without destroying its power of ger- 

 mination, so that the crows will not eat it? Try soaking it in coal- 

 tar or creosote. Could this fact be put to practical use? 



c — What conclusions of practical importance could be derived from 

 the above experiments? 



