500 BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. [Pub. Doc. 



many nests without eggs, that had a full complement the 

 clay before." (I. Chester Ilorton, Ponkapog, Canton, Nor- 

 folk County.) 



"Directly back of my house is a bush pasture, in which 

 are a few pines, cedars and birches. In the pines and 

 cedars numerous robins build every spring ; and every 

 spring about the nesting time of the crows I see them 

 searching through these pines and cedars for — something. 

 At no other time of year do I ever see a crow even alight 

 in this pasture, to say nothing about visiting each tree sepa- 

 rately, with every action indicating a search for something. 

 One morning a few years ago I saw a crow drop into the 

 top of a certain cedar in this pasture, and pick the eggs, 

 one by one, from a robin's nest there and eat them. A 

 year or so later I saw the same thing done again, although 

 this nest was in another cedar. At another time I saw a 

 crow visit a robin's nest in an oak tree. This nest con- 

 tained young birds perhaps a week old, and despite the 

 protests of the parent birds, they were all carried away, 

 apparently to feed the crow's young. In a clump of pines 

 south-west of the house a pair of crows had a nest one year, 

 while the crows' hunting ground was to the east of the 

 house, so that the old crows often flew over the house while 

 passing from the hunting ground to the nest. On one of 

 these trips a crow had in its bill a young bird, unfeathered, 

 which I identified at the time as a young robin. While 

 there are many nests built ever}^ year in the pasture re- 

 ferred to, I estimate that not one in ten ever contains 

 young, and not half the 3^oung ever leave the nest alive. I 

 know that at least one crow visited this pasture every day." 

 (R. H. Carr, Brockton, Phanouth County.) 



"Crows destroy many nests of eggs. Think them the 

 worst enemy." (R. H. Cushman, Bernardston, Franklin 

 County. ) 



"I have seen crows attack the nests of our connnon birds 

 many times, and carry oft' the young birds to be used for 

 feeding their own young during the nesting season. . . . 

 Both crows and red S(|uirrels are fond of birds' eggs, and I 

 have found the empty shells of eggs of birds near their nests 



