BIRD LEGEND AND LIFE 



The nursery plant is a comfortable one, with gymnasium 

 equipment of sticks and weed-stems, on which the young 

 claws are exercised till strong enough to hold to the branches 

 surrounding the nest when the first unsteady steps are taken 

 outside. Living so high above the ground, they do not leave 

 the nest permanently so early as most other birds. No acci- 

 dental tumbling into the great outside world for them — ^but 

 occasionally casualties occur to decrease the family. Should 

 one fall from the nest he would in all probability be regarded 

 as lost. As a rule, the dusky little creatures make many 

 trips out among the higher branches and return again to the 

 nest for rest and refreshment before coming down to earth. 

 On reaching the ground they are initiated by the parents into 

 the ways of older crows. Indeed, the older birds devote the 

 entire summer to the education of their offspring, who 

 willingly remain under their provident care. 



While the young are in the nest they are fed in a meas- 

 ure from the throats of the older birds, spiders, beetles, in- 

 sects of various kinds, eggs, and the young of various birds 

 and animals. Corn is given to them sparingly at first, but its 

 consumption increases with the age of the bird. Sprouting 

 grain is considered an especial dainty for immature crows. 



During the plowing season the crow devotes his time 

 to following the furrow and clearing the fields of the pesti- 

 lential hosts that otherwise would ravish the harvest. To 

 one viewing him sympathetically he seems as necessary to 

 agricultural prosperity as the farmer himself. To be sure, 

 he claims a part of the fruit of the field as his wage, but so 

 does the farmer, who in his efforts to defeat the claims of 

 the bird often dangles the body of a deceased relative from a 

 hedge nearby in plain view of the dark-feathered gleaner. 

 But after viewing the remains, our friend the crow, who in 



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