FISH CROW 279 



plovers' eggs, seven hens' eggs, several turtles' eggs, one fish head, and 

 one rock crab. 



Fish crows do immense damage in the heron colonies in Florida; 

 wherever I have been in the many breeding colonies, fish crows have 

 always been flying about, looking for a chance to steal the eggs from an 

 unguarded nest. As the herons all leave their nests as soon as a man 

 approaches, the crows have plenty of chances to enjoy a good feast, 

 and they make the most of it. They rob the nests of all the herons, large 

 and small, as well as the ibises, spoonbills, anhingas, and even cor- 

 morants. While we were photographing for parts of two days in the 

 great Cuthbert rookery, nearly all the nests within sight of our blinds 

 were completely emptied ; and our experience was similar elsewhere 

 in Florida. Howell (1932) says that they "perch on the bushes, watch- 

 ing for a sitting bird to leave its nest, whereupon they immediately 

 swoop down and carry off an egg. In the large rookery at Orange 

 Lake, it is estimated that two-thirds of the nests are robbed by the 

 crows, which are there very abundant." 



Fish c.rows are sometimes seen in the plowed fields, picking up grubs ; 

 they are also said to eat ants, and several observers have mentioned 

 grasshoppers in their food. N. B. Moore says in his notes, made many 

 years ago, that these crows alight on the backs of cattle, to pick up the 

 ticks that are burrowing into the skin and sucking the life blood from, 

 as well as annoying, these animals; this may be an ancient habit, as it 

 does not seem to have been recently observed. 



Bendire (1895) states that on the Smithsonian grounds in Washing- 

 ton they "have been noticed repeatedly carrying off and eating the 

 young of the English Sparrows." Wilson (1832) writes: "There is 

 in many of the ponds there [Georgia], a singular kind of lizard, that 

 swims about with its head above the surface, making a loud sound, not 

 unlike the harsh jarring of a door. These the Crow now before us 

 would frequently seize with his claws, as he flew along the surface, and 

 retire to the summit of a dead tree to enjoy his repast." 



The vegetable food includes a variety of berries, fruits, and seeds, 

 such as pokeberries, mulberries, hac.kberries, huckleberries, the fruits 

 of red cedar, sour gum, palmetto, magnolia, holly, dogwood, papaw, 

 red bay, catbrier, and mistletoe, and the seeds of locust, wildrice, etc. 

 Some grain is eaten, such as corn and oats, but most of this is probably 

 waste grain picked up in the fields after harvesting. Probably some 

 cultivated fruits are taken, but not enough to be of great economic 

 importance. 



Audubon (1842) mentions the berries of the dahoon (Ilex cassine); 

 "they are seen feeding on them in flocks often amounting to more than 



