246 Wild Bird Guests 



know that if the sparrows had stood between any- 

 one of them and the success he has made, there 

 would not be a single sparrow in that town. 



Crows 



It would probably be unwise to exterminate 

 the crows even where some individuals are 

 addicted to nest-robbing. Such individuals 

 should of course be shot, if possible, and even 

 a general thinning out may be advisable. But 

 crows are very intelligent and interesting birds, 

 and the writer, for one, would miss them sadly 

 if they were all gone. Nevertheless we must 

 have consideration for the farmer and try to 

 help him to prevent the pulling of his corn and 

 other grain by the crows. 



A single dead crow, hung up by the feet in a 

 conspicuous place usually makes the best kind of 

 a scare-crow and will protect a considerable area 

 of ground. 



One of the most effective methods of prevent- 

 ing the pulling of corn is to give the corn a thin 

 coating of tar. There are several ways of doing 

 this. One of the best is to soak the corn in 

 water until it begins to germinate, and then stir 

 in enough tar to give each kernel a thin coating. 

 Some farmers simply moisten the corn with warm 

 water before stirring in the tar. If the latter 



