reason chiefly Crows should be kept within proper limits as to numbers. Of late 

 years they have increased altogether too fast, and our small birds have suffered 

 in consequence. 



After the young birds leave the nest they move about with their parents and 

 feed on a most varied diet. Tliey will make a raid on the fruit gi'ower, and 

 demolish liis eh. ■nics (11- i-iisii)M.iTirs'if t)ir idea, sti-ikcs tlirin, or thfv will prowl 

 along the l;ikr slimv .iihI ..iijny llicnis,! v.^s \\,r ,-i IVw day^oi, fis], f;nv, aftei' which 

 they will \-isil .i p.istiiir field and cli'.'ii- mil all tlic wiiv wi.niis. i^riilis and mice 

 they may find Mutc : in lact. vcrv IVw tilings conic .iniiss to tlicni, .is tlicy roam 

 about thnniuh the coimtty nnti'l the cold ' niulil s \\ai-n tli.in food toev'tlicr in 

 some place wlicre tlicy can yet ;it least a b.-nv snlisistencc to cany them o\cr the 

 winter. 



As I have said before, Crows liave increased too fast of late years, and we 

 have now too many of them in the country ; tlieir numbers can easily lie reduced 

 if a httle attention be paid to the matter in tlie spring. Just at nesting time they 

 are less shy and wary than at any other season and can be approached in the trees 

 within shooting distance. If one of each pair was shot off their numbers would 

 .soon be I'educed to such an extent that the damage tlie}' could do would not be 

 noticeable. The.se l)irds are so vfcU able to take care of themselves that even 

 more stringi^ut measures might be adopted against them without any danger of 

 extermination, their natural enemies being very few, and those, of that class 

 against which man has carried on a most successful war. Of these the Great- 

 horned Owl was the most noteworthy, bid the ( ii e;it -horned Owl will kill the 

 poultry of a farmer who allows his Fowls to nxist out on winter nights, and so 

 the Owl must go and the Ci-ow has one eiieniy the less. 



Raven. This species only occurs in the more northerly portions of the Pro- 

 vince, having retired before the encroachments of civilization. To the pioneer it 

 is sometimes a nuisanci', poultry and young lambs falling easy victims to this 

 bird's strength and rapacity. Tiny also destroy a large quantity of game, but 

 fortunately their number is so small, and the birds themselves so conspicuous, 

 that it is not difficult to get rid of them. 



Blue Jay. It is a pity that so beautiful and interesting a bird as this should 

 be possessed of such mischievous propensities as it is, but I am afraid that neither 

 its good looks nor its good acts can be said to balance its evil deeds. This bird, 

 like the conniion ( 'row, seems to forget its usual shyness when spring arrives and 

 will lea\e its wooded haunts and build its nest in gardens, orchards and shrubberies, 

 close to liouses and i|nite within reach of every per.son passing, nor does it affect 

 any sort of concealnunt ,is a rule. I have .seen many nests .so placed that they 

 were visiVile from [luhlic roads where people and vehicles were oontiniiallv passing. 

 The I'eni.de could ,|uite readily be seen siltin-,yet t he hi, Js carried on thVir duties 

 regardless ..f inying eyes. It seems a pit_v tli.il their conlideiic.' should I.e.ibuscd. 

 but I am compi'lied to say that in all eases that came uialer my olisi'ixation the 

 Blue Jays I >a lily i-epaid the per,sons in whose gardens they weie pr.iteeteil and 

 allowed'to raise their young. In the tir.st place the> steal a l.iiye amount of small 

 fruit, and, I'lirther they roh ;ind destroy tlie nests and young of other birds to 

 such an extent that they are piisiti\ely injuiious to agriculture, the birds they 

 destroy lieingall of that class whose food consists pi'incipally of insects, and with- 

 out whose assistance I doubt if we could succeed in raising any cro)) to maturity. 

 The Blue Jays themselves, however, destroy no inconsideraMe numlier of 

 insects, and they do no damage to grain ; they may occasionally pick off a little 

 corn from the cob, but that is about the extent of the injury they do in that 

 direction. Their unfortunate fondness for the voungof other birds more valuable 



