328 PERCHERS AND SINGERS 



harsh and strident; but in his native solitudes, where bird 

 sounds are so seldom heard, the voyageur is always glad to 

 hear his call. And surely, every perching bird that chooses 

 to brave the rigors of the northern winter instead of migrat- 

 ing is entitled both to respect and admiration. 



The plumage of the Canada Jay has a peculiar fluffy ap- 

 pearance, suggestive of fur. Its prevailing color is ashy gray. 

 The nape and back of the head are black, but the forehead is 

 marked by a large white spot. The wings and tail are of a 

 darker gray than the body. The home of this interesting 

 bird — the companion of the moose, as well as of forest-haunt- 

 ing man — extends from Nova Scotia, and northern New Eng- 

 land, throughout Canada to Manitoba, and northward to 

 the limit of the great forests. 



The Common Crow 1 needs no description. When finer 

 birds were abundant, we cared little for him; but now that 

 bird life generally has so greatly diminished, we feel like wel- 

 coming him as a friend. His cheerful "Caw" is a welcome 

 sound, and his services to the farmer overbalance the bad 

 things he perpetrates. The Department of Agriculture, 

 through Professor F. E. L. Beal, has officially investigated 

 him, published the court records of his case, and pronounced 

 him a bird worthy of protection. It is declared, after an 

 examination of the stomachs of specimens, that the noxious 

 insects destroyed by the Crows — cut-worms, caterpillars, 

 grasshoppers and also mice — represent a saving of more grain 

 than the bird consumes. 



It must be admitted, however, that the Crow does many 



1 Cor'vus a-mer-i-can'us. Length, 18 to 20 inches. 



