34 BULLETIN 621, IT. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 



Isaac E. Hess, of Philo, 111., relates an instance of the destruction 

 of a prairie chicken's nest by the crow. 1 



* * * A few days since, a farmer told rne of a crow and prairie-hen 

 episode of which he was an eyewitness. He was plowing in a field where 

 he had previously located a prairie-hen's nest containing 14 eggs. The nest Avas 

 beside a fence between two adjoining fields, and in consequence was in little 

 danger of being disturbed. 



His attention was attracted by an unusual commotion, and, drawing nearer, he 

 saw a fight in which the hen w T as bravely defending her property. As he ad- 

 vanced to the rescue (he afterwards saw his mistake), both adversaries flew 

 away. He found the nest sadly disturbed and four eggs punctured by the 

 crow's sharp beak. Removing the broken shells, he returned to his work. The 

 prairie hen. owing to its shy nature, was slow in returning, but before the 

 farmer could plow around the field the crow (which, by the way, has never 

 been accused of timidity) had made sad havoc of the remaining eggs. 



" Crows are very destructive to eggs of wild fowl, especially ducks, 

 partridge, sharp-tailed grouse, and prairie chicken," writes W. D. 

 Black, of Margaret, Manitoba, and then adds, " Though prairie 

 chicken are still very common, I have known 12 out of 15 nests to be 

 robbed in one week. Crows are their greatest enemies * * *." 

 (1912.) 



The nests of ducks, rails, and other waterfowl also are attacked, and 

 when crows make it a point to rear their young within easy reach of 

 the breeding marshes of these birds, the chances are poor for the latter 

 hatching their first laying of eggs. 



Maj. Allan Brooks, addressing the Biological Survey from Okano- 

 gan Landing, British Columbia, claims that crows there — 



destroy at least three-fourths of the nests of wild ducks; only in exceptional 

 cases are the first layings of mallards hatched. Grouse do not suffer much 

 except the sharp-tailed. The northwest fish crow (Corvus caurinus), found only 

 on the coast and coastal valleys, is a far worse pest than the western crow 

 (C. b. hesperis). The latter does some service in destroying grasshoppers, the 

 former lives mostly' on animal matter * * *. ( 1911. ) 



C. Wm. Beebe, of the New York Zoological Park, reports : 



In the New York Zoological Park a few individual crows before, during, and 

 after the nesting season acquire the habit of feeding on the eggs and young of 

 the mallards which breed here. Altogether we have lost about 400 or 500 duck- 

 lings and many score of eggs. The former are often snatched from the water 

 as they are swimming. When the particular marauders are killed the other 

 crows in the park do not cause any trouble. ( 1911. ) 



Heron rookeries, especially those of the black-crowned night heron, 

 are favorite resorts for marauding crows. These herons appear to 

 be utterly helpless before the attacks of their more wily and aggres- 

 sive enemies, and the total destruction of at least one laying of eggs 

 is inevitable where nesting crows are at all abundant. 



1 Oologist. XVII. No. 9, p. 136, Nov., 1900. 



