386 ANNUAL REPORT OF THiS Off. Doc. 



bugs, several kinds of ants, a grasshopper and other insects, which 

 could not be determined by examination, because fragmentary. 



The Common Crow. — Much interest should be taken in the careful 

 study of the food of the crow. Since it is unprotected by law at 

 any time in this State, persons can kill specimens and send them 

 to us. We have requested many times specimens of crows and 

 jays, killed at different times of the year, and from different portions 

 of the State. We should like to have them in order to enable us to 

 make complete studies of their food and thus prepare and publish a 

 Bulletin upon this special topic. 



We have found the crow feeding upon snails, beetles, clover-leaf 

 beetles, red-legged grasshoppers, and other grasshoppers, Pentato- 

 mids, or stink bugs, insect chrysalids, flesh, (probably taken as a- 

 scavenger around a slaughter house or where butchering was done), 

 and pumpkin and corn seeds. 



On the whole, those that were examined were fully as beneficial as 

 injurious, if not more so. 



The Blue Jay. — Blue Jays were found to have fed upon the remains 

 of beetles, snails, chestnuts, berry seeds, leaf-eating caterpillars, 

 and probably corn. This shows the possibility of, good from the 

 feeding habits of the Blue Jay; we also admit that it indicates the 

 chance of injurious work at certain times of the year if they should 

 become very numerous in grain fields. Perhaps the worst that can 

 be said about the Blue Jay is concerning its destructiveness of birds' 

 eggs and young birds; yet it must be admitted that it eats many 

 insects and young snails. 



The Logger-head Shrike. — This is a southern bird, remaining with 

 us during the summer time, and nesting in thorn bushes or bushes 

 with spines, where it finds it convenient to pin insects, small birds, 

 frogs, mice and other creatures, which it stores for future use. The 

 particular specimen which was sent to us, Xo. 8486, was found to 

 have eaten a spider, grasshoppers and caterpillars. This shows that 

 the Shrike is a bird worthy of protection, and in our opinion, should 

 be preserved at all times, and is justly protected by law in this State. 



The Chickadee. — {Pa7us atricapillns.) — The Chlckaee is one of our 

 smallest and at the same time, most valuable birds. It remains in 

 some portions of this State, particularly the northern part, all the 

 year, and is found in this (central and southern) part of the Stat^ 

 all winter. It feeds to a great extent on the eggs of plant lice, and 

 other insects, and upon small chrysalids. This specimen examined 

 had eaten a moth pupa about the size of the pupa of the Codling 

 Moth, which is destroyed by these little birds. 



The Tufted Titmouse. — This is a near relative of the Chickadee, 

 belonging to the same family, and partaking of similar food. Speci- 

 men No. 8336, was found to have eaten twenty eggs of a bug belong- 

 ing to the bed bug family (yet one of the plant-infesting species), 

 and also a few seeds. 



In conclusion, let us urge a closer study of the habits of birds, with 

 a view of detecting and protecting those which are beneficial and 

 destroying none until they are known to be harmful. Let us especi- 

 ally endeavor to preserve the Woodpeckers and Nut-hatches, also 

 Chickadees and Titmouse by putting up old posts or logs in which 

 they can nest; and other birds, such as Blue Hen, Wrens and Max- 



