FROM A NOTE BOOK OF MANASSEH CUTLER. 123 



infest or receive their nourishment from any living animal, 

 which is another reason for supposing they have no pro- 

 boscis. 



Cod-fish. 1787, Jan. 26. The generic characters 

 correspond, but there is not an equal correspondence in 

 y® specific. May there not be a difference between the 

 European & American ? The fish from which the fol- 

 lowing characters were taken was caught in Ipswich Bay, 

 about three leagues from y" shore. It weighs with y^ 

 entrails 85 pounds. It dificrs from the Gadus harhatuK 

 in not having distinguishable points on the lower jaw. 

 The length of y*^ body of this, and in general, is much 

 more than three times its breadth. The first pinna of the 

 anus is rather cartilaginous than bony. - The cirrus is 

 under the chin. 



Crow Black-bird.' April 24, 1787. These black- 

 birds go in flocks in spring cS; Autumn — but are scatted 

 about among y*^ bushes in swamps, pond holes, & on 

 streams of water during y*^ summer, where they build 

 y"^ nests and rare y"" young. They are among y^ first birds 

 that appear in y^ spring, & are often seen in midst of 

 winter, in warm thawy weather in swamps, & about ponds. 

 I once saw a consideralile number of them in January, in 

 company with a number of Robins on y^ south side of 

 Gravelly & round ponds. It was a mild, thawy day, tho' 



1 Mr. Abbott says " Grackles early attracted the attention of the settlers in this 

 country, not only ijecanse of their great number, but from an unfortunate hal)it 

 which they then had of eating too much corn." The bird must have lieen niucli 

 more abundant in Mr. Cutler's time than now, as writers of that time mention 

 Beein;; them in ?;reat numbers and from Peter Kalm the Swedish naturalist who 

 travelled in this country in 1748-ol, we learn that a bounty was placed u)ion tlieir 

 heads and they were nearly exterminated. Later a worm made its ai)))earance 

 in the country and the people do(;ided it was because of the destruction of the 

 black-birds, and the war acrainst them ceased. 



It has since been found that they are very useful in the destruction of insects, 

 as an examination of the contents of their stomachs proves, and they have ceased 

 to be an annoyance to the farmer, except perhaps in the West, where they still 

 injure the corn in the manner described by Mr. Cutler. — M. W. B. 



ESSEX INST. BULLEIIN, VOL. XXIX 9 



