THE CROW AND ITS RELATION TO MAN. 83 



is not satisfactorily known. The fact that they are terrestrial in 

 their feeding eliminates from their diet many of the injurious plant- 

 feeding and flying-insect pests, while most of the beneficial, pre- 

 dacious forms are subject to their attack. Thus their destruction 

 by the crow can be considered only partially prejudicial to the in- 

 terests of man. 



Crustaceans 



The consumption of crustaceans must be classed among the minor 

 benefits conferred by the crow. While much of this food is picked up 

 as carrion along beaches or river banks, a considerable number of 

 crawfish fall as the crow's prey in portions of the South where these 

 creatures are abundant and destructive. 



Reptiles and Amphibians. 



Feeding on the smaller snakes and lizards must be charged against 

 the crow, but by the destruction of a few larger, more or less arboreal 

 serpents the bird compensates for some of its own misdemeanors 

 against nesting birds. While it is impossible to determine the exact 

 extent of the crow's predacious activities against the larger snakes, 

 it follows that in the consumption of any such material the bird 

 confers a benefit either as a carnivore or scavenger. Most of the 

 large turtles eaten probably are carrion, while the smaller ones are 

 frequently captured alive. 



The crow's destruction of the highly insectivorous amphibians, 

 especially toads and frogs, is to be deplored. Such work is opposed 

 to the best interests of man, but, fortunately, toads, which come most 

 intimately in contact with insect pests of garden and field, are less 

 frequently eaten than frogs. 



Wild Birds and Their Eggs. 



The crow's destruction of wild birds and their eggs is a noxious 

 trait of no small importance. It is somewhat mitigated, however, 

 by the fact that most of the depredations on eggs occur early enough 

 in the season to permit the raising of a second brood at a time when 

 there is little or no danger from crows. To this fact alone can be 

 attributed the ability of some waterfowl to maintain their numbers 

 in regions where they are regularly subject to attack. The destruc- 

 tion of nestling birds of highly beneficial species is not to be con- 

 doned and constitutes one of the strongest arguments against the 

 crow. On game farms, preserves, and in suburban districts where 

 it is the desire to foster small birds, the crow population must be 

 kept within limited numbers. Sufficient cover also must be left for 

 woodland game birds. 



