110 



THE OOLOQiST 



worms) which will a'ppear later to re- 

 tard and destroy the growth of the 

 corn; at such times the Crow's use- 

 fulness is apparent. Also, after the 

 fields are cleared of oats and hay, the 

 Crows come in numbers to eat count- 

 less bugs, grasshoppers and kindred 

 insect pests. 



The vast amount of Crows' stom- 

 achs examined by tlie United States 

 Biological Survey, for the purpose of 

 determining the amount of good done 

 by the Crow, has shown very clearly 

 that the Crow does far more good 

 than harm. The facts discovered in 

 this way by this institution show, 

 that in way of insect food (which 

 forms a large part of the Crow's diet), 

 a large per cent taken consists of in- 

 jurious white grubs, grasshoppers, 

 wireworms, caterpillars, weevils and 

 May beetles; a very small per cent 

 consists of beneficial insects and some 

 of the less harmful other varieties. 

 The Biological Survey has publislied 

 (through the U. S. Department of Ag- 

 riculture) many splendid bulletins con- 

 taining information relating to the 

 Crow's food; the most exhaustive 

 study is Department Bulletin 621, 

 "The Crow and Its Relation to Man." 

 (1918). 



Crows are very fond of carion, but 

 this seems to be usually eaten in win- 

 ter or when other food is scarce. They 

 •show a preference for the carcass of a 

 skunk after the hide is removed. I 

 know of one farmer who hung one of 

 these in an apple tree near his house 

 last winter, and in a very short time 

 he shot several Crows. I have also 

 known them to attack the entrails of 

 a dead bull snake in the first stages 

 of decomposition. 



It is bordering on the impossible 

 for a hunter to pursue his game 

 through woods where Crows are con- 

 stantly patroling the woods, and, care- 

 fully as the hunter may stalk along, 

 he will soon be assailed from above 

 with an army of Crows, all cawing to 



the full extent of their vocal capaci- 

 ties, telling the pursued game of his 

 exact whereabouts. They swoop low 

 to the ground near the hunter; they 

 circle about overhead, each one seem- 

 ingly trying to outdo the other in 

 noise and acrobatic evolutions, and 

 the bored hunter gets no peace until 

 he has left the woods. If you won- 

 der why he doesn't shoot them, it may 

 be well to say it is almost impossible 

 to hit one on the wing, and if he 

 should fire his gun, tlae Crows are 

 smart enough to circle higher, out of 

 range, a'nd, instead of withdrawing, 

 their frenzy of excitement increases. 

 This fate also befalls anyone trying, to 

 hunt Crows. Their wariness, together 

 with their remarkable powers of ob- 

 servation, enable them to hold their 

 own in numbers, despite the fact that 

 men and boys throughout the land are 

 continually hunting them. There is 

 one exception, however, young Crows, 

 even when nearly as large a's their 

 parents, are very stupid and I have 

 seen them when they had to be chased 

 out of a tree with a stick before they 

 would fiy. 



Being a very intelligent bird, a Crow, 

 if captured when young, is soon tamed, 

 makes a desirable pet, a'nd will readily 

 adopt itself as one of the family. It 

 can be taught to say many things, 

 rivaling the Parrot in the imitation of 

 the human voice. I once knew an old 

 Crow that had lived a decade or two 

 with a fatnily living in town. He 

 lived in a tree near the house and 

 tapped on a door or window v/hen he 

 wanted to come in. He couli imitate 

 the human voice perfectly as to be de- 

 ceiving, and said a variety of things, 

 a favorite expression being, "Hello, 

 Jim Crow! How's your Pa?" The 

 wild Crow can say but one word which 

 is known to all, atid it is astonishing 

 to note how easily he can use it to ex- 

 press excitement, alarm, anger, pleas- 

 ure or triumph, as the situation de- 

 nia,nds. 



