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complaint also in regard to the destruction of corn in the ear. It 

 must npt be inferred, however, that when crows are at work in the 

 corn field they are always eating corn. On the other hand, crows 

 have been shot in Massachusetts corn fields apparently engaged in 

 pulling corn, whose stomachs, when examined, showed no trace of 

 grain, but were largely filled with the white grub of the May beetle 

 {Lachnosterna fiisca), and various cut worms. 



Crows are undoubtedly somewhat destructive to fruit, as they 

 have been obsei'ved to eat apples, wild grapes and both wild and 

 cultivated cherries. 



Farmers when engaged in planting have occasionally observed 

 crows digging up sections of potatoes and carrying them away 

 from the hill. Mr. Mosher reports having seen crows in the fall 

 iu the act of carrying off such potatoes as were not entirely cov- 

 ered by the soil. Several reports have also been received of the 

 destruction of the eggs and young of poultry by crows, and in 

 these cases the observers actually saw the crows in the act. It 

 would appear, from all the evidence obtainable, that in this region 

 much harm may be done by the crows by the destruction of wild 

 birds and their eggs. Some crows appear to be inveterate nest 

 robbers. In Florida, in New England and on the Pacific coast the 

 writer has observed that, where herons or sea fowl breed in large 

 numbers, the crows congregate for the purpose of robbing their 

 nests. In the " rookeries " of several species of Florida herons, 

 in those of the night herons of New England and in breeding 

 places of gulls and guillemots on the Pacific coast, crows appear 

 to be always on the watch, and whenever either herons or sea birds 

 leave their nests the crows hasten at once to feed on the unpro- 

 tected eggs. Piercing them with their bills, they quickly eat or 

 suck out the contents. This trait of the crow is well known to all 

 observing ornithologists, and it is probable that most species of 

 birds whose uests the crow can readily find and reach suffer at one 

 time or another from such depredations. Although the writer has 

 never seen the crow actually taking young birds from the nest, he 

 has been told by many trustworthy observers that they have fre- 

 quently seen the crows in the act. Those of the smaller birds 

 whose nests are largest and most exposed, such as the robin, the 

 red-winged blackbird and some of the thrushes, probably suffer 

 most. Mr. Mosher says that he has seen the nests of smaller 

 species, such as the chipping sparrow and red-eyed vireo, robbed 

 by the crow. Those birds whose nests are most conspicuous suffer 

 most frequently from its attacks. A vireo's nest which was placed 

 ■within thirty yards of a crow's nest but carefully concealed under 

 the leaves was overlooked by the crows. A nest of the ruffed 



