^°igo^^J Stone, IVintci- Crozv Life in Delazvare Valley. 269 



yards rise, the tails being docked about two inches to allow free 

 action in the trap. The crows ' get off ' more deliberately than 

 pigeons but their flight is more erratic so that they prove harder 

 to hit. About twenty per cent, usually escape from the grounds 

 though many of these are badly wounded, and probably not five 

 per cent, survive. 



One of the most troublesome factors in crow trapping is the 

 presence of hawks in the vicinity of the nets. These birds abound 

 along the river marshes in winter, where they find quantities of 

 Field Mice {Microtus peJiiisylvanicus) to prey upon and naturally 

 in severe weather they take to the crow bait quite as readly as the 

 crows themselves. As long as a hawk is there the crows will not 

 remain on the ground long enough to justify a cast of the net, 

 but continue to hover over and mob him until he is fairly settled 

 at his feast, when they retire to the neighboring trees and await his 

 departure, which is greeted with a rousing demonstration. 



To rid themselves of this nuisance the trappers are compelled to 

 net a number of hawks, nearly all of which prove to be the Red- 

 shouldered Hawk (^Bnteo li/icafits). This fact is interesting, as 

 previous experience showed that nine tenths of the hawks shot on 

 the Delaware meadows were the Red-tailed Hawk {B. borealis). 

 A few of the latter species and one Black Hawk {^Archibnteo lago- 

 piis saiidi-johannis) have been netted. 



Fortunately for the crows trapping can only be carried on 

 successfully in winters when the ground is covered with snow for a 

 considerable period. The abundance of the pigeon supply also 

 materially affects the demand of crows, and these facts do not tend 

 to draw a great many men to this interesting field of business. 

 Furthermore, the temporary retirement of the chief crow trapper, 

 who has been spending some time in jail — on another charge — 

 has given the birds a respite of late, which we trust will continue. 



One of the most interesting facts developed in the investigation 

 of this crow trapping was that both the Fish Crows {Corvies ossif- 

 ragns) and Common Crows (C americanus) were caught in the 

 same net, and that the former species was by no means rare, being 

 clearly distinguished by both trappers and gunners under the name 

 of Pigeon Crow and regarded as better for trap shooting than the 

 larger species, since it was not necessary to ' dock ' so much of 

 the tail to get the birds in the traps. 



