434 Roosevelt Wild Life Bulletin 



of the large birds of prey means that their customary food, the small 

 rodents, is not plentiful. The chipmunk is rather common, it is 

 true, and it feeds in the burns and clearings alongside of the birds 

 without exciting their interest. Its presence and that of the red 

 squirrel may account for the occurrence of the Broad-winged Hawk. 

 But the small rodents, ordinarily enemies of nesting birds, are 

 evidently not prominent as an influence in the region. 



Certain other birds, however, are more annoying and baneful to 

 the small songbirds than are the so-called birds of prey ; but fortu- 

 nately, these also are restricted in numbers throughout the western 

 Adirondack region. Eaton ('10, p. 53) reports that in the State of 

 New York Crow Blackbirds, Shrikes, Crows and Jays kill smaller 

 birds. " The three last mentioned are especially destructive to eggs 

 and young birds. I have known many instances of Crows carrying 

 away Robins and other young birds when nearly ready to leave the 

 nest, and have seen Crow Blackbirds follow and kill young Robins 

 which were able to fly several rods. I once saw a Bittern followed so 

 hotly by a troop of Red-wings that she dropped the young bird 

 which she was carrying away to her nest, and on examining the vic- 

 tim I found it was a Red-winged Blackbird, fully fledged, which the 

 Bittern had speared through the side with her daggerlike beak. 

 There is little doubt that the callow young of our perching birds are 

 devoured by numerous flesh-eating species. The mortality among 

 eggs is even greater than among the nestlings. Many species of 

 otherwise inoffensive birds become egg-eaters during the nesting 

 season. Blackbirds, Cuckoos, Catbirds and Wrens invade their 

 neighbors' nests and destroy their treasures. Crows and Jays are 

 probably the worst destroyers of eggs and nestlings, and I have seen 

 the Crow on so many occasions in this nefarious business that I 

 doubt if I could ever consent to regard him as a reputable citizen. 

 The Cowbird is fully as noisome a pestilence from the standpoint of 

 bird protection, for every young Cowbird is reared at the expense 

 of a whole brood of vireos, warblers, finches or some other song- 

 bird." 



Other writers have recorded the destructive propensities of many 

 birds that do not belong to the raptorial group. Burns Coo, p. 66) 

 mentions the fact that the eggs and callow young of the Flicker are 

 sometimes destroyed by the Red-headed Woodpecker, the Crow, 

 the Fish Crow and the Blue Jay. Forbush ('13. p. 370) records 

 that the English Sparrow " has repeatedly been seen to destroy the 

 nests of other birds, break their eggs, kill their young, mob them 

 and drive them away from their homes. It occupies the houses of 

 Bluebirds, Martins, Swallows and Wrens, and the nests of Barn 

 Swallows, Cliff Swallows and Bank Swallows, and by persistency 

 and force of numbers, drives the owners away. All careful observ- 

 ers who have watched the Sparrow ever since its introduction and 

 have noted the effect produced upon other birds by its presence, 

 agree that it is pernicious." These birds do not yet appear to be 

 significant factors as enemies of the birds in the Cranberry Lake 

 region. The Crow is represented only by a family here and there; 



