265 



FARMERS PRAISED THEM. 



Several farmers whose premises I visited when in- 

 ve8tij!:atinff the ravages of the Army Worm expressed 

 great surprise when they were informed that Crows 

 and Blackbirds fed almost wholly on the voracious 

 insect-pests which were devastating the oats, barley. 

 corn and grass fields, "^lien specimens of these birds 

 were shot and the contents of their stomachs exposed, 

 they admitted that the birds were not as bad as it 

 was commonly supposed. 



SOME BAD HABITS. 



The Orow's fondness for eggs and young of domesti- 

 cated fowls, as well as his penchant for despoiling the 

 nests of numerous wild birds of their eggs and young, 

 is well known; then again the Crow visits the corn- 

 field in the springtime and in the Autumn he often 

 does considerable damage. These carnivorous tastes 

 and grain-eating habits of the Crow have caused, it 

 seems, a great many of our farmers to place Mr. Crow 

 under ban. 



The Crow Blackbird, like the Ck>mmon Crow, de- 

 stroys the eggs and young of different species of bene- 

 ficial birds which nest in orchards, parks and gardens, 

 and he also often, like the Crow, visits the cornfield 

 or cherry tree. However, if farmers would take the 

 trouble in the Spring when Crows and their bright- 

 eyed relatives — the Blackbirds — are at work in corn- 

 fields to carefuully investigate, they would find, no 

 doubt, as the writer has, that these birds are not 

 there for the purpose of destroying corn, but to sav*^ 

 it from crawling toes which hide beneath the soil. 



i7*-n 



