168 



BIRDS IN THEIR RELATIONS TO MAN. 



of scarecrows of some kind. The damage done in this way- 

 is sometimes very great, often causing the loss of one-third 

 of the crop, although, as a rule, the injury is slight. This 

 seems to be an acquired habit, belonging to comparatively 

 few of the crows. One Missouri observer reports that he 

 once saw eight crows in his corn-field, two parents and six 

 young. " One was pulling the corn, one standing idle, and six 

 eating the grain after it was pulled up.*' Isolated fields and 

 those near the nesting-sites are usually much more liable to 



THE COMMON CROW 

 {After WarrtH.) 



injury than others. Later in the season, when the corn is 

 in the soft, milky stage preceding ripening, the crows again 

 attack it, tearing the husks from the ears and picking out the 

 kernels. 



In some parts of New England and Canada the crow is 

 accused of serious injury to recently planted potato fields. 

 When the plants appear above ground the birds pull them up 

 to get at and devour the partially decayed tubers that were 

 used for "seed.'" In the South rice and ])oa-nnts are said lo 



