■ THE COMMON CROW. 359 



captivity ; and have, by actual observation, proved that at 

 least eight ounces of such food as frogs, fish, &c., are eaten 

 daily by our Common Crow. Of course, like other birds, it 

 can live on a very limited allowance ; but I think that the 

 above is a reasonable amount : however, to be absolutely 

 within bounds, we will fix the food of the Crow to be equal 

 to five ounces of animal matter per diem. Beginning, then, 

 with the new year, we will follow the life of this bird through 

 all the seasons, and then compare the results arrived at 

 together, good and bad. 



During the months of January, February, and March, 

 when the face of the country is covered with snow, the 

 insects being dormant, and the small birds away to more 

 southern districts, most of the Crows migrate from New 

 England : and the few that remain depend upon a scanty 

 subsistence of seeds of wild plants and weeds, acorns, apples 

 that have been left on the trees in the orchard, and frozen ; 

 and they occasionally capture a field-mouse that strays from 

 its nest in the stubble-field or swamp. The life of the Crow 

 during these months is one continued starvation ; and the 

 expression, " poor as a crow," may be applied to it, as well 

 describing its condition. It succeeds in finding a few 

 cocoons of Lepidopterous insects ; meets occasionally with a 

 caterpillar or beetle ; and, on the whole, its labors during 

 these months may be called beneficial ; although the good 

 resulting from them is of so little amount that we might 

 safely regard them as neutral. But, to be beyond the chance 

 of doing it an injustice, we will assume, that, during the 

 three months above mentioned, the Crow does as much good 

 as during the whole month of April, 



Let us adopt, in this discussion, a system of numerals to 

 signify the relative values of this bird through the year ; 

 taking the unit one to represent the labors of each day. The 

 Crow is therefore valuable, during January, February, and 

 March, thirty units, and in April is unquestionably thirty 

 units more ; for its food then consists almost entirely of 



