62 THE CROW. 



field from which he steals the corn, he destroys many noxious 

 worms and insects, especially cut- worms; not to speak of the 

 snakes, moles and mice, whose career is cut short by him. 

 Besides, to the unprejudiced lover of nature, his presence 

 adds beauty and character to the landscape. 



Between the good services and the mischief done by the 

 Crow, Wilson, Audubon, and most other ornithologists, 

 have found a large balance in his favor, while some, as 

 Samuels, for instance, are well convinced that his depre- 

 dations on crops, and more especially his destruction of the 

 nests and young of the smaller and more useful birds, can- 

 not be compensated by any good and useful office which it 

 is possible for him to fill. The latter view is the one more 

 in harmony with the sentiment of the common people; 

 hence, in various times and places, premiums have been 

 offered for his head, as in the case of the more destructive 

 beasts of prey. In consequence of this, the number destroyed 

 in a single State in a season has been as high as 40,000; 

 and Wilson tells us that, during a winter of " long-continued, 

 deep snow, more than six hundred Crows were shot on the 

 carcass of a dead horse, which was placed at a proper dis- 

 tance from the stable, from a hole of which the discharges 

 were made. The premiums awarded for these, with the 

 price paid for the quills, produced nearly as much as the 

 original value of the horse, besides, as the man himself 

 assured me, saving feathers sufficient for filling a bed." 



But whatever the public sentiment may be, no bird is 

 better able to take care of itself than the Crow. Go into the 

 field or forest, and steal a shot at it if you can! Under all 

 ordinary circumstances, its keen eye and vigilant caution 

 are a full match for its enemies. I do not see how Wilson's 

 school-boy ever secured for him a basket of Crows. If one 

 of my young friends shoots one over the carcass of a dead 



