\L'or7'us lont.x prifuipd/is) took possession and no Crows nested there 

 that season. There is constant warfare between the two species." 



H. R. Buck, Wethersfield, Conn. — "Crows are very common with us 

 at all seasons and especially so in Winter. Then they collect in large 

 flocks, probably recruiting from much further north, and keep together 

 pretty well until the breeding season. As a rule they spend the nights in the 

 meadows of the Connecticut River, roosting in large numbers in the black 

 oak trees, which are abundant in many places. At such times they are per- 

 haps less watchful than in the day time, but nevertheless they always have 

 guards posted, day and night. They can seldom be approached without 

 the guards giving the alarm. Some twenty years ago my father shot six- 

 teen by firing the contents of a double-barreled gun into a tree where they 

 roosted. About dawn they begin to stir, and from sunrise until noon 

 there is a steady stream of them flying to the neighboring hills, where 

 they pass the day. Here they feed on berries, seeds, and almost anything 

 they can pick up. They undoubtedly do good by killing larvae and grubs, 

 which they find under bark and leaves. Warm brooks are among their 

 favorite feeding grounds, and they sometimes come quite close to farm 

 yards in search of such scraps as may be thrown out. When the Spring 

 thaws come, they may be seen almost constantly feeding on the edges of 

 the melting ice, sometimes in company with the Herring (iull (Lar/ts 

 arfrejilatus smUhsoniaiuts) which often comes up the river. Here they 

 find acorns, berries, and the garbage from towns further up the river. 

 They also collect in large numbers about the city dumps, showing a great 

 fondness for carrion, and all refuse found in such a place. 



"As the season advances, they abandon their routine habits, break up 

 into smaller parties, and finally into pairs, when thev set about the more 

 serious business of nesting. In this locality they seem to like the sun- 

 shine, and avoid the deeper woods. When the eggs hatch. • then the 

 trouble begins ' for the farmers, as the corn comes' up about that time 

 and the young birds must eat. I do not think the crows dig up the kernel 

 before it sprouts, but from the time the blade first shows above the ground 

 until it is three inches high, they seem to consider it their lawful property. 

 They pull up the sprouts for the kernels at the end. The Crow does 

 great damage in this way, especially in isolated fields, where the whole 

 crop has sometimes to be replanted. There are two methods in use here 

 for pre\enting this loss. The first and oldest way is to stretch white cotton 

 strings around and across the field about six feet above the ground. The 

 Crow proverbiall)' is a cunning bird, and when he sees the strings, he ex- 

 pects a trap and seldom goes into the fields. This way has been largelv 

 given up on account of its inconvenience and cost. The way now follow- 



