﻿510 



Canadian Record of Science. 



sionally a mouse. The stomach contents do not indicate 

 that it robs other birds' nests to any great extent, as 

 remains of birds and birds' eggs amount to less than 

 one -half of 1 per cent. 



It is, however, on account of its vegetable food that the 

 grackle is most likely to be accused of doing damage. 

 Grain is eaten during the whole year, and during only 

 a short time in summer is other food attractive enough to 

 induce the bird to alter its diet. The grain taken in the 

 winter and spring months probably consists of waste 

 kernels gathered from the stubble. The stomachs do not 

 indicate that the bird pulls sprouting grain; but the 

 wheat eaten in July and August, and the corn eaten in the 

 fall, are probably taken from fields of standing grain. 

 The total grain consumed during the year constitutes 

 45 per cent, of the whole food, but it is safe to say that at 

 least half is waste grain, and consequently of no value. 

 Although the] crow blackbird eats a few cherries and 

 blackberries in their season, and some wild fruit in the 

 fall, it apparently does no damage in this way. 



Large flocks of crow blackbirds no doubt do considerable 

 injury to grain crops, and there seems to be no remedy 

 except the destruction of the birds, which is in itself 

 expensive. During the breeding season, however, the 

 species does much good by eating insects and by feeding 

 them to its young, which are reared almost entirely upon 

 this food. The bird does the greatest amount of good in 

 spring, when it follows the plow in search of large 

 grub worms, of which it is so fond that it sometimes 

 literally crams its stomach full of them. The farmer 

 must decide for himself whether or not these birds cause 

 more damage than can be repaid by insect destruction ; 

 but when they destroy an entire crop it is no consolation 

 to know that they have already eaten a multitude of 

 insects which, if left alone, would have accomplished the 

 same result. 



