884 REPORT OF STATE GEOLOGIST. 



The Crow is shy and cautious. They know that every man's hand 

 is against them, and keep well out of reach of the man with a gun. 

 A friend of mine says a Crow can count two, but his knowledge of 

 mathematics ends there. Three persons may hide and after two have 

 left the crow will return, but never till two have left. 



The crow is charged with many crimes and is not given credit with 

 many, if any, virtues. The United States Department of Agriculture 

 has investigated the habits and foods of the Crow in the United States, 

 and has issued a very valuable report thereon (Bulletin No. 6, Div. 0. 

 and M., U. S. Dept. Agr., by Walter B. Barrows and E. A. Schwarz). 

 The Crow is found guilty of pulling up sprouting corn, eating corn, 

 destroying chickens and their eggs, robbing the nests of small birds, 

 destroying such harmless and beneficial animals as salamanders, toads, 

 frogs and snakes and spreading the seeds of noxious plants. But it is 

 found the facts are somewhat different from what they are popularly 

 supposed to be. 



The Crow only eats hard, dry corn when other food is not easily 

 obtainable. It eats it readily when it is softened. Therefore, the 

 softened, sprouting grains are desirable food. They also are fond of 

 it when in the "roasting-ear," or milk stage. Mr. Lon Innis says they 

 are very destructive to corn in this condition near Milroy, Eush 

 County. The destruction of chickens and their eggs is much less than 

 is commonly supposed; of the entire number of stomachs examined in 

 the year (909), but 57 contained evidence of such food, which was a 

 little over one-half of one per cent, of their total food. The same testi- 

 mony is given as to the destruction of wild birds. Less, by far, are 

 eaten than is commonly supposed. Only 50 stomachs, or about one 

 per cent, of the whole number examined for the year, contained such 

 food. Through the fall and winter season, especially, the seeds of 

 many vines and trees are eaten. They are especially fond of poison 

 ivy (RJius toxicodendron), poison sumach (Rhus venenata), other su- 

 mac (Rhus), and also eat those of juniper or red cedar (Juniperus vir- 

 ginianus), flowering dogwood (Cornus florida), and sour gum (Nyssa 

 aquatica). The seeds of such plants, together with sand, gravel, and 

 other material eaten to assist in grinding the food, is ejected from the 

 mouth usually in the form of pellets. They are thus spread over the 

 country along fence rows, under shade trees, in orchards and other 

 places to propagate undesirable plants. In September and October I 

 have found the Crows feeding upon wild cherries (Prunus serotina), 

 and beechnuts. Seeds of the former are doubtless distributed in the 

 way just noted.. Thus, as a whole, the injuries the Crow does are 

 shown not to be so great as is generally supposed. 



