BIRDS OF ESSEX COUNTY. 243 



for existence became severe among the Crows and it would be supposed that 

 many would migrate southward. However this may have been, it is certain 

 that many stayed here, and that some died of starvation. Every crack and 

 every opening in marsh and creeli was sought by the hungry Crows. In Lynn 

 Harbor, in Beverly Back River, at the mouth of the Essex and Ipswich Rivers, 

 Crows could be seen in numbers standing on the edge of ice cakes, and along 

 openings in the ice, picking up scraps from the surface of the water and perhaps 

 occasionally catching a fish. The contrast between them and the snowy 

 Herring Gulls with whom they consorted on the ice was very striking. As a 

 rule the Gulls and the Crows paid no attention to one another, but a hungry 

 Crow, attempting to take a fish away from a Herring Gull was scolded by the 

 latter in such a threatening manner, that he took to flight. 



On February 22d, 1904, I saw a Crow sitting crouched down on a tree. 

 When startled, he flew feebly about thirty feet, and attempting to alight on 

 another tree, nearly fell but managed to pull himself onto his jierch. I was 

 given a Crow that was found dead early in March, 1904. The body was 

 greatly emaciated, the intestines nearly empty, and the stomach contained only 

 a husk of oats and a piece of coal ashes. There was no evidence of disease. 

 The bird weighed only ten ounces and was small in every way, — a case of the 

 small and unfit perishing. 



Although I failed to find any dead Crows myself, it being the common 

 report that there were many dead Crows in Gloucester, I wrote to a physician 

 there, who sent my note to Mr. M. A, Walton, the " Hermit," who very kindly 

 wrote me the following interesting letter, under date of February 29th, 1904 : 

 "I think the number of dead Crows has been greatly exaggerated. In the rear 

 of the Hospital some dead Crows are to be found, not a large number. Quite 

 a few were observed on the ice at Annisquam. I have not observed dead Crows 



under the pines in my locality Persons living at Annisquam tell me that a 



few dead Crows were seen beneath their roosts. I should say that the dead 

 Crows found on the Cape had starved to death." 



As to the winter roosting of Crows, he says : " It would be impossible to 

 estimate the number of Crows that winter here. Near my cabin there is a pine 

 growth covering about four acres. I have known this winter, several times 

 when the trees were all densely packed and a large number of Crows had to 

 seek roosts elsewhere. When the clam flats are covered with ice, the Crows 

 leave Ipswich and Annisquam, and seek food on the Dogtown Commons, 

 Bond's Hill, the beaches, and the fish wharves. Once this winter all trees and 

 shrubs were coated with ice. Millions of Crows gathered on Bond's Hill near 

 here. I went up to see what they found to eat. They were knocking the ice 

 off the rose bushes and eating the seed-pods. When the Owls prey on Crows 



