BIRD BIOGRAPHIES 



times and alighted on the shore. The flock numbered at 

 least a thousand, and hoarse caws and croaks gave evi- 

 dence that it was made up to some extent of fish crows. 



"After the birds had remained on shore about fifteen 

 minutes, they were put to flight by a farmer's boy and 

 flew on down the river. Going to the place where they 

 had alighted, I found the sandy beach cut up for more 

 than a hundred yards with their tracks. Many led out 

 to the water, and floating black feathers here and there 

 showed where baths had been taken. 



"The most interesting trace of their sojourn, however, 

 was several hundred pellets of fruit material, which they 

 had ejected through their mouths and dropped on the 

 ground. These pellets were about an inch in length and 

 half an inch in diameter. They were of a deep purplish 

 color, due to the fruit of woodbine, wild grape, and poke- 

 berry, of which they were mainly composed. In 50 pel- 

 lets collected there were only 11 seeds of other plants — 

 namely, holly, bitter-sweet, and poison ivy. Pokeberry 

 seeds were by far the most numerous. Mr. A. J. Pieters, 

 of the Botanical Division of the Department of Agricul- 

 ture, germinated some of them, thus demonstrating the 

 fact that they were distributed uninjured. 



"The pellets were made up not only of seeds and skins, 

 but largely of fruit pulp in an undigested state. It seems 

 strange that the birds should have rid themselves of a sub- 

 stance that still contained a good deal of nutriment. 



"Little is known of the distribution of fruit seeds by 

 crows during migration, but it is certain that they do this 

 work eff"ectively while they fly to and from the roosts where 

 they congregate in winter, for their feeding grounds often 

 cover an area stretching out on all sides from the' roosts 



[16] 



