THE CROW AND ITS RELATION TO MAN. 37 



is recorded for such food in the stomachs of nestling crows (see 

 page 65). In a few instances accurate determination could not be 

 made, the remains being indistinguishable from those of wild birds. 

 Most of the depredations on poultry are committed during the crow's 

 breeding season, May and June. Over half the records of such feed- 

 ing were secured from material collected in these two months, 21 in 

 May and 11 in June. From the fact that 12 of the 127 stomachs col- 

 lected in January contained poultry or their eggs, it would seem that 

 a portion, at least, of such food should be classed as carrion. 



The mentioning of a few occurrences of trouble experienced by 

 poultry raisers will indicate the gravity of the issue and show the 

 extent to which crows may conduct their operations under favorable 

 conditions. Dr. Leon J. Cole gives, in his report 1 of investigations 

 regarding depredations of the crow, the following two cases : 



The first of these was reported by Dr. V. L. Leighton, who has an extensive 

 poultry plant not more than a half mile from the Experiment Station in Kings- 

 ton. * * * He was troubled most seriously from about April 1 to July 10. 

 This is just the season during which the crows are raising their young and the 

 young are learning to forage for themselves. Dr. Leighton estimates that dur- 

 ing this period he lost, from the depredations of the crows alone, in the 

 neighborhood of 100 chickens, which was about 25 per cent of those hatched and 

 not lost from other causes. All sizes were taken, from the time they were just 

 hatched until they were a pound in weight. The larger chicks the crows killed 

 and ate where they caught them, but the smaller ones they carried away in their 

 beaks. Various efforts were made to keep the crows away, most of which were 

 ineffectual. * * * 



The other instances * * * occurred near Cumberland Hill, in the north- 

 ern part of the State. This was on the farm of Mr. E. E. Church, who was 

 attempting to raise ducks on a suitable pond not a great distance from his 

 house. The first lot hatched consisted of 135 ducklings ; later in the season 

 there remained of these but 14. In a later lot he had 70 ducklings and saved 

 only 13 of them. The loss of nearly 87 per cent he attributes almost wholly 

 to crows. 



In a report similar to numerous others reaching the Biological 

 Survey, G. S. Baker, of Rehoboth, Mass., states : 



Last spring I lost about 40 Rhode Island red chickens in 3 or 4 days. When 

 the loss was discovered, a watch was kept and a crow was seen to come from 

 a pine grove, take a chicken, and come back in 10 to 15 minutes for another. 

 This crow was promptly shot and no more chickens were taken. (1912.) 



Dr. Raymond Pearl, biologist at the Maine Agricultural Experi- 

 ment Station, at Orono, explains that even less drastic methods have 

 protected the poultry at the station : 



Crows are by far the most destructive enemies of poultry in the vicinity. 

 They kill chickens up to and exceeding their own size. This past season we 



1 Cole, Leon J., The Crow as a Menace to Poultry Raising • Rhode Island Agr. Exp. Sta., 

 21st Ann. Rept., 1908, pp. 314-315. 



