Anecdotes of an American Croiv. 89 



the nectared juice ; but that insects constitute a neces- 

 sary, or, at least, usual, part of its food. 



Facts such as these are highly interesting. They 

 make part of a connected system, which I have long 

 since adopted, and even publicly taught, that an en- 

 tirely or purely herbivorous animal is hardly known ; at 

 least among the higher series of animals (as we call 

 them), such as the mammalia and the birds, in parti- 

 cular. 



These facts will hardly fail to be deemed interest- 

 ing, in another point of view. They must point out 

 the necessity of our destroying, with more hesitation, 

 many of the numerous species of birds with which 

 our country abounds ; since a very large proportion 

 of these birds subsist wholly, or in part, upon diffe- 

 rent species of insects, many of which are among 

 the most injurious with which we are acquainted*. 



XXV. Anecdotes of an American C?-qw. By Wil- 

 liam Bartram. 



IT is a difficult task to give a history of our 

 Crow. And I hesitate not to aver, that it would re- 

 quire the pen of a very able biographer to do justice 

 to his talents. 



* See Fragments, Sec. Part First, p. 2 1 — .24. 



