FARMERS PRAISED THEM. 



Sovei-iil farmers whose premises I visited wlion in 

 vestiKHting the ravages of the Army Worm ex[)resse(i 

 {jreat surjii-ise when they were informed that Crows 

 and Blackbirds fed almost wholly on the voracious 

 insect-pests which were devastating- the oats, barh'v, 

 corn and grass fields. When specimens of these birds 

 were shot and the contents of their stomachs exposed, 

 they admitted that the birds were not as bad as it 

 nas commonly supposed. 



SOME BAD HABITS. 



The Crow's fondness for eggs and young of domesti 

 catod fowls, as well as his penchant for despoiling the 

 nests of numerous wild birds of their eggs and young, 

 is well known; then again the CrOiW visits the corn 

 field in the springtime and in the Autumn he often 

 does considerable damage. These carnivorous tastes 

 and grain-eating habits of the Crow have caused, i1 

 seems, a great many of our farmers to place Mr. Crow 

 under ban. 



The Crow Blackbird, like the Common Crow, de- 

 stroys the eggs and young of different species of bene- 

 ficial birds which nest in orchards, parks and gardens, 

 and he alsio often, like the Ci'ow, visits the cornfield 

 or cherry tree. However, if farmers would take the 

 trouble in the Spring when Crows and their bright- 

 eyed relatives — the Blackbii'ds — are at work in corn 

 fields to curefiuilly investigate, they would find, no 

 doubt, as the writer has, that these birds are not 

 there for the purpose of destroying corn, but to savt; 

 It from crawling toes which hide beneath the soil. 



17*-11 



