278 CITIZEN BIRD 



" Of course we must remember that for many mouths 

 of the year the Crow eats grasshoppers, grubs, aud eveu 

 mice ; but it is easy to forget this wheu oue discovers 

 that half a dozeu Crows have eateu all the young 

 Robins in the orchard, in a single morning." 



'' Did they ever do that in our Orcliard ? " asked Dodo. 



"Yes — not once, but many times; and that is the 

 reason why I do not allow Crows to nest anywhere on 

 tlie Farm. In great open farming districts, where other 

 birds are few, they may do much more good than evil ; 

 but not in well-settled places or about gardens and 

 pleasure grounds." 



The American Crow- 

 Length from eighteen to twenty inches. 

 Glossy black from tlie tip of its beak to the end of its toes. 

 A Citizen of North America from the Fur Countries to INIexico. 

 A dismal and noisy neighbor for three months m tlie year, 

 making itself hateful by destroying grain, and the eggs and young 

 of song birds ; but for the other nine a good citizen, working in 

 the guilds of Ground Gleaners and Wise Watchers. 



THE BLUE JAY 



" This Jay is accused of the same bad tricks as the 

 Crow — pulling up sprouting corn, eating ripe corn, 

 and going birds'-nesting, to suck the eggs and eat the 

 helpless young. But we must not judge the whole 

 tribe by what we have seen a pair or two do in the 

 Orchard or home woods in the mating season. 



"The Blue Jay is the third of our really' familiar 

 blue birds and is certainly very handsome. Do you 

 remember who the other two are?" 



" The Bluebird I " said Dodo quickly. 



