252 Crows 



familiar was located in Marble's Woods in the town 

 of Columbus, New York State. It was but a short 

 distance from my early home, and many times I have 

 visited it. The woods proper consisted of from twelve 

 to fifteen acres, somewhat less than half of which were 

 hemlocks. In these hemlocks the crows had their 

 roost, a small one, to be sure, but one which was in 

 every way characteristic. One band had a decided 

 leader whom I came to know very well. He was 

 easily distinguished from other crows because he had 

 white feathers in both wings. "Old White Wing," 

 as he was known, came the nearest to being one of 

 Dr. Godman's bad crows that I have ever known. 



About November first the crows began to congre- 

 gate in the roost, and by December it had reached 

 its normal size. In March the crows began to 

 leave the roost, and by the first week in April they 

 had all departed, except those intending to nest there. 

 Their arrival and departure varied considerably with 

 the season, and a mild winter had its influence upon 

 the regular attendance. 



During very severe winters the crows had little to 

 feed upon and the death rate at the roost was corre- 

 spondingly large. The foxes, hawks, and owls came 

 in for their share of crows, as these animals were all 

 very plentiful about the roost. The great horned 



