THE CROW AND ITS RELATION TO MAN. 59 



one of which had fed on these insects, a total of 62 weevils having 

 been eaten by the brood. 



Other beetles. — Other beetles fed to nestling crows belong 

 mainly to the necrophagous and coprophagous families Silphidse, 

 Staphylinidse, and Histeridse. The proportion of these insects eaten 

 is essentially the same as in the food of adults. No instance of ex- 

 tremely large numbers eaten was -recorded. Click beetles (Elateridse) 

 and their larvae, wireworms, form only a small portion of the nest- 

 ling's food, about a third of 1 per cent, and in no stomach were re- 

 markable numbers noted, an odd circumstance in view of the fav- 

 orable reports made by competent field observers regarding the 

 crow's effectiveness as an enemy of these pests. 



Orthoptera. 



In the destruction of grasshoppers, nestling crows render man a 

 most important service. Although the birds are reared prior to the 

 season when these insects are most abundant a vast number of the 

 nymphal forms fall as their prey. More than 14.5 per cent of the 

 food of those examined consisted of orthopterous remains — a re- 

 markable proportion when it is considered that adult crows at the 

 height of the grasshopper season in August and September take only 

 a little over 19 per cent, and during the nestling period (May) only 

 4.29 per cent. It is highly probable, though, that this percentage for 

 nestling crows is somewhat exaggerated because of the large numbers 

 collected in Kansas and Missouri. On the other hand, no nestling 

 material is available from the extreme Northwest, an area in which 

 adult crows feed extensively upon these insects. Nestling crows in 

 that region no doubt are fed largely upon Orthoptera. 



By far the largest portion of orthopterous food of young crows 

 consists of short-horned grasshoppers (Acrididse). These were pres- 

 ent in 528 of the 778 stomachs examined, and in many exceedingly 

 large numbers were recorded. When it is considered, however, that 

 the number of grasshoppers eaten is determined by counting the 

 jaws present, and that these undigested parts are in many cases accu- 

 mulated from past meals, the large numbers recorded are partially 

 explained. 



The most noteworthy work of grasshopper destruction revealed in 

 the examination of stomachs of nestling crows was that of a brood of 

 four secured at Onaga, Kans. These had eaten 133, 106, 105, and 74, 

 respectively, a total of 418, which constituted three-fourths of the 

 food. Another brood of seven had consumed a still greater number, 

 585, but they averaged only about 83-|- for each bird and formed a 

 little less than 70 per cent of the stomach contents. One of these 

 nestlings had eaten 143, the highest number recorded for a single 



