14 



Farmers' Bulletin 1102. 



abundant their nymphs form the principal insect food of the nest- 

 lings. Other creatures in the destruction of which the young exceed 

 the adults include caterpillars and spiders. The latter, however, are 

 predacious and to a great extent beneficial. 



The crow's feeding on reptiles and amphibians is on the whole not 

 to the best interests of man. but fortunately the highly beneficial 

 toads are found in the food less frequently than the more aquatic 

 frogs and salamanders. In feeding on the eggs and young of small 



If 



II 



FIG. 4. Food of nestling crows. The proportions of the various elements are represented by the rela- 

 tive sizes of the sectors. In Table II the same information is presented in percentages. 



insectivorous and game birds the crow commits a serious offense, and 

 in the vicinity of game farms and preserves the bird must be held in 

 check if other species are to exist in concentrated numbers. This 

 offense is mitigated somewhat by the fact that most of the depreda- 

 tions on eggs occur early enough in the season to permit the raising 

 of a second brood at a time when there is little or no danger from 

 the crow. The molesting of poultry is an injurious habit against 

 which protective measures are effective under any but the shift-by- 



