WINGED ENEMIES OF WILD FOWL 87 



devour much food which is intended for the game. They 

 have been known to destroy the eggs of wild ducks, and 

 they undoubtedly drive many desirable small birds away. 

 They easily can be shot and trapped, and their nests* 

 should be destroyed as soon as made. 



The Magpie. — The magpie fti the West and in parts of 

 British America is an enemy of game which should be 

 controlled closely. One of my correspondents writes 

 that in Washington (State) he has known the magpie 

 to destroy the nests of the prairie grouse. I have had 

 other reports about the damage done by these birds in 

 the West and in some of the Canadian Provinces. 



The heron is said to destioy young ducks in England, 

 but I have no reports about this bird in America. When 

 visiting a duck preserve in New jersey I heard a shot 

 fired and saw the gunner across the pond. I asked the 

 gamekeeper what was shot, and he said it was a crane, 

 and added that its mate had killed several ducks and was 

 in the act of killing one when he shot it. I regret that I 

 did not see the bird, since the crane is a rare visitor in 

 New Jersey. Probably it was a heron. 



The Jay. — This bird, as I have observed, is beneficial to 

 gamekeepers. It undoubtedly is an egg stealer, but 

 probably it takes the eggs of small birds for the most 

 part. Jays should not be permitted to become over- 

 abundant, since it is desirable to preserve the smaller 

 song and insectivorous birds on the farms included in a 

 preserve, as elsev/here. 



