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than themselves makes il necessary id.it tli.-y -hould I..- destroyed when they 

 take up their residence about ou? gardens, for ii is there .md in our culti\. 



fields, that our insect ivoroiis birds do tin- most good, ;md to g.-t them then 



must give them as much protection ble iVom their n;ifur;d ni-mii-s. and 



h-ach tin-in that the\ an- in greater safety near our dwelling than they uould 



In- in tin- woods. liirds of ;dl kinds soon lost- their fear of in;in it' unmo|.->ted b\ 

 liini, ;ind part icularly if they find that in his immediate neighborhood they 



raisr their young safely . I know of several farms and Large gardene wh'-r-- iird- 

 have been encouragod and protected from their enemies; to these place- the\ 



return in increased numbers year after year, until nearly all available breeding 

 places arc taken up. On these premises the owners rarely suffer from 

 depredations of cut worms or ot her insects, and so Hi id themselves well rej aid for 

 the little caiv they rei|iiire to exercise on behalf of their 1'eatheivd friend-. 



'. hetter known throughout the country a> tin- cro\\ 1.1 

 liird," is. when in I'ull plumage, a very handsoiiH- bird, and may !" distinguished 

 from the other so-called llackl)irds by its lar^e six.- and the l.rilliant metallic 

 lustre of its feathers. Like the Rook of Europe, it breeds in colonies, and i- _ 

 Carious at all times of the year. 'Putin' farmer, the fruit grower and the lover 

 of birds generally, this bird is a nuisance ; all that can ! said in its favour is, 

 that it is very beautiful and that it does, at times, eat a lar^v number of cut 

 worms, fur which it may often lie ->een working industriously on the lawns and 

 ijrass fields near its nesting place, hut as against that it has a heavy record of 

 crimes to answer for. They are early migrants, arriving here about the end of 

 March and resorting at once to their nesting places. From this time until the 

 oats are sown they probably feed entirely on insects, but as soon as the jrrain U 

 in the ground they visit the newly sown fields and help themselves liberally, 

 varying their diet by taking as many stnal] birds' eggs and young as they can 

 conveniently get at. I have on several occasions seen them attack and carry off 

 young Robins, in spite of the vigorous defence set up by the victim's parents and 

 all the friends they could summon to their assistance. The row made by tin- 

 despoiled nest owners on these occasions, together with the frantic dashes they 

 made at the robber, would be sufficient to shake the nerves of one of the hawk 

 family, but the Crow blackbird disregards it all, and goes off with its prey. 



Aj9 >uun as the strawberries, cherries, etc., are ripe these birds display a fond- 

 ness for fruit, and a persistency in gratifying it, that is maddening to the fruit 

 grower, who-e profits dwindle day by day by reason of the visits of these tin. \ efl 

 who will continue to carry it oti' until the young leave the nest. When the young 

 < Irackles can fly they gather in lar-v Hocks and roam about the country all day. 

 roosting together in vast numbers in some marsh every night. The Dundas 

 marsh, near Hamilton, used to be much favored by them for this purpose ; it is 

 at this season they do the worst of their mischief to the fields of wheat and oat-. 

 Not only do they eat an immense niiantity, but as they Mutter and >tniu'gl' 1 > n 

 their efforts to balance themselves upon the straw of the standing uTain. t h.-y 

 thresh out and cans.- the loss of much mure. Nor does (he cutting and shocking 

 stop their ravages: they still continue to feed upon it, until the last sheaf is in 

 the barn In the Province of Manitoba where t ln-se birds are abundant, I have 

 >ei-n all the grain threshed out from the ears fora space of ten yards in width. 

 round fields which had been selected by them for their feeding ground. In this 

 Province they are rarely to be found in sufficient numbers to do as much dan 

 as that, nor are they likely to become so. for although their chief natural enemies. 

 the hawks and owls, have been too much reduced to he able to keep them entirely 

 in check, yet their number is still manageable and may be kept so by the judiei 



