No. 4.] THE CKOW IN MASSACHUSETTS. 287 



of such depredation which have come within the knowledge 

 of most farmers or other persons living in the country are 

 far too numerous to leave a shadow of doubt on this score 

 in any unprejudiced mind. 



" Yet for every instance of such robbery witnessed by 

 man, thousands must take place without his knowledge. 

 Persecution by crows is doubtless a very large factor among 

 the influences which cause so many birds to crowd about 

 human habitations during the nesting season ; and yet the 

 relentless crow follows them even to the eaves and window- 

 sills of houses, taking their eggs and young in spite of every 

 precaution. 



"The evidence on this point, contributed by our ob- 

 servers during the past few years, is replete with accounts 

 of such forays, and the only wonder is that robins, thrushes, 

 blackbirds and many other species continue to rear any 

 young at all." * 



In the later report, published in 1895 and based mainly 

 on the examinations of a much larger number of stomachs. 

 Professor Barrows seems inclined to minimize the harm 

 done by crows in this manner, and Dr. Merriam regards it 

 as trivial. 



Professor Barrows states in the later report that it seems 

 probable that not more than one crow in twenty becomes 

 addicted to this sort of stealing. f While this may be true, 

 the avidity with which crows so often attack birds' eggs and 

 young and their eagerness to be on the scene as soon as pos- 

 sible whenever an opportunity for eating eggs is presented, 

 would lead one to believe that most crows are addicted to 

 such stealing whenever eggs are plentiful and can be readily 

 found. Numbers of sea birds breed on a small, treeless 

 island in the San Juan Archipelago, Puget Sound. Imme- 

 diately upon their being disturbed or driven off by white 

 men or by the Indians, crows flock from the islands in the 

 vicinity to feed upon the eggs or young of the sea fowl. 

 The writer found on this island a nest of the north-western 

 crow, which was built in a hollow dug in the earth at the 



* Annual Report United States Department of Agriculture, Report of the Ornithol 

 o.uist ami Mammalo.trist for the year 1888, page 513. 

 t " The Common Crow of the United States," page 47. 



