UTILITY OF BIRDS TO AGRICULTURE. 119 



immediately establishes itself in the meadows and swamps. 

 About the first of May the preparations for building commence. 

 The nest is placed in a low bush and is built of coarse grasses 

 woven together and deeply hollowed. The eggs, which are four 

 or five in number, are of a light, blue color, and are marked 

 with streaks and blotches of brown and black. This bird is 

 rather injurious in its habits, as it eats a good deal of corn and 

 other grain. 



Icterus Baltimore — Audubon. 

 Baltimore Oriole, Golden Robin. — This is, perhaps, the 

 most beautiful bird in plumage and song we have. With the 

 colors of gold and orange-red contrasted with the black on the 

 wings, and with a voice of the purest harmony, it is deservedly 

 a great favorite. The nest of this bird is a very curious affair. 

 It is commenced by winding and weaving together a lot of 

 string, thread ravellings, or anything else of the sort, and bind- 

 ing the whole firmly to the drooping branch of an elm or a wil- 

 low tree. Thus a sort of pouch is formed five or six inches 

 deep, in which the nest proper is placed. This consists princi- 

 pally of hair and a few fine grasses. The eggs are four or five 

 in number and are of a bluish-white color, marked with irregu- 

 lar spots and blotches of dark brown and black. 



Corvus Americanus — Audubon. 

 The Common Crow. — No bird has ever excited so much con- 

 troversy and comment as the Crow. At one time all the agri- 

 cultural papers were continually saying something for or against 

 this bird, and the question whether it is beneficial or injurious 

 has not yet been settled to the satisfaction of all. In our opin- 

 ion the Crow is very injurious, and we will give a few reasons 

 for this opinion. It is well known to all farmers that the Crow 

 does actually pull up and eat a good deal of corn. But those 

 who defend this bird say that the insects he destroys compen- 

 sate for this loss. Now, if we grant this the bird will be neu- 

 tral, doing just as much good as he does harm. But this leaves 

 unnoticed the fact, which is undoubted by all careful observers 

 of birds, that the Crow destroys a great number of small birds 

 which, if permitted to live, would destroy more insects in a day 

 than a Crow would in a year. Therefore, we conclude his hab- 



