16 
proved. Nor are these all of his sins. He is known to eat frogs, toads, 
salamanders, and some small snakes, all harmless creatures that do 
some good by eating insects. With so many charges against him, it 
may be well to show why he should not be utterly condemned. 
The examination of a large number of stomachs, while confirming all 
the foregoing accusations, has thrown upon the subject a light some- 
what different from that derived solely from field observation. It shows 
that the bird’s-nesting habit, as in the case of the jay, is not so univer. 
sal as has been supposed; and that, so far from being a habitual nest 
robber, the crow only occasionally indulges in that reprehensible prac- 
tice. The same is true in regard to destroying chickens, for he is able 
to carry off none but very young ones, and his opportunities for cap- 
turing them are somewhat limited. Neither are many toads and frogs 
eaten, and as froes are of no great practical value, their destruction is 
not a serious matter; but toads are very useful, and their consumption, 
so far as it goes, must be counted against the crow. Turtles, crayfishes, 
and snails, of which he eats quite a large number, may be considered 
neutral, while mice may be counted to his credit. 
In his insect food, however, the crow makes amends for sins in the 
rest of his dietary, although even here the first item is against him. 
Predaceous beetles are eaten in some numbers throughout the season, 
but the number is not great. May beetles, ‘dor-bugs,” or June bugs, 
and others of the same family, constitute the principal food during 
spring and early summer, and are fed to the young in immense quanti- 
ties. Other beetles, nearly all of a noxious character, are eaten toa 
considerable extent. Grasshoppers are first taken in May, but not in 
large numbers until August, when, as might be expected, they form the 
leading article of diet, showing that the crow is no exception to the 
general rule that most birds subsist, to a large extent, upon grasshop- 
pers in the month of August. Many bugs, some caterpillars, mostly 
cutworms, and some spiders are also eaten—all of them either harmful 
or neutral in their economic relations. Of the insect diet Mr. E. A. 
Schwarz says: “The facts, on the whole, speak overwhelmingly in favor 
of the crow.” 
Probably the most important item in the vegetable food is corn, and 
by pulling up the newly sprouted seeds the bird renders himself 
extremely obnoxious. Observation and experiments with tame crows 
show that hard, dry corn is never eaten if anything else is to be had, 
and if fed to nestlings it is soon disgorged. The reason crows resort 
to newly planted fields is that the kernels of corn are softened by the 
moisture of the earth, and probably become more palatable in the proc- 
ess of germination, which changes the starch of the grain to sugar. 
The fact, however, remains that crows eat corn extensively only when 
it has been softened by germination or partial decay, or before it is ripe 
and still “in the milk.” Experience has shown that they may be pre- 
vented from pulling up young corn by tarring the seed, which not only 
saves the corn but forces them to turn their attention to insects. If 
