THE NORTHWEST CROW. 17 



bchintl lier as fast as she shooed tliem away in front — came witliin two or 

 three feet of her, too, and made ))la\ fiil dashes at lier chuhl)y legs. But 

 might 1 l)e permitted to photograph the scene at. say, fifty yards? Mit 

 nichten! .\rragli! To your tents, O Israel! 



In so far as tiiis Crow consents to perform the office of scavenger, lie 

 is a useful meml)er of society. Nor is his consumption of shell-fish a serious 

 matter. Rut when we come to consider the quality and extent of his 

 depredations upon colonies of nesting sea-hirds, we find that he merits 

 unciualilieil condenuiation. For instance, two of us bird-men once visited 

 the west nesting of I'aird Cormorants on Flatto]), to ojjtain |)hotographs. 

 .•\s we retired down the cliff. I picked up a Ijroken sliell of a Coriuoraiit's 

 egg, from which the wliite. or plasma, was still dripping. .\s we i)ulled 

 away from the tVxjt of the cliff' a Crow flashed into view, lighted on the 

 edge of a Shag's nest, seized an egg, and bore it oft' raijidly into the woods 

 aI)ove. where the clamor of e.Kpectant young soon told of the disjiosition 

 that was being made of it. Immediately the marauder was back again. 

 seized the other egg, and was ofif as before. .MI this, mind you, in a trice. 

 before we were sufticiently out of range for tiie Cormorants to reach their 

 nests again, altho tliey were hastening toward them. Back came the Crow, 

 but the first nest was exhausted ; the second had nothing in it ; the Shags 

 were on the remainder; moments were ])recious — he made a dive at a 

 Gull's nest, but the Gulls made a di\e at liim: and they tofi hastened to 

 their eggs. 



Subseipient in\estigation discoxered rifled egg-shells all o\-er the island, 

 and it was an easy matter to ]>ick up a hatful for e\'idence. As he is at Flattop, 

 so lie is exerywhcre, an indefatigable roblaer of birds' nests, a sneaking, 

 thieving, hated, black marauder. It is my deliberate conviction that the 

 successful rearing of a nestful of young Crows costs the lives of a hundred 

 sea-birds. The liaird Cormorant is. doubtless, the heaviest loser: and she 

 appears to have no means of redress after the mischief is done, save to lay 

 more eggs, — more eggs to feed more Crows, to steal more eggs, etc. 



