THE Percuine Birps. 125 
It would seem entirely unnecessary to refer to the 
Crow. Everybody knows the bird at sight and sup- 
poses he knows the details of its mind, body, and 
estate, but here “ everybody” is mistaken. The orni- 
thologist knows this bird, but the public do not. All 
that can be said against it is rolled like a sweet morsel 
under the tongue, but who has spoken in its favor? 
The Farmers’ Clubs throughout the land and State 
Legislatures and like learned bodies may declaim and 
enact as they see fit, but the truth remains the truth. 
The crow zs a useful bird in spite of the mischief of 
which it is guilty, and that is the sum and substance 
of the whole matter; but if short-sighted farmers 
will persist in persecuting these birds, and probably 
they will to the end of time, it is to be hoped that they 
will learn to discriminate between them and the Fish- 
crow, which is as absolutely harmless as a swallow. 
They are a Southern species, but come every March 
into the Delaware Valley and remain until Septem- 
ber. The impression that they come and go with 
the shad and herring is altogether a mistake. Wil- 
son, who first made known this species to naturalists, 
gives an account of their gull-like habits as he saw 
them in the South; but here in the Delaware Valley 
they are more crow-like and very seldom snatch 
floating food from the surface of the water. They 
are not shy, and after the hauling of the seine will 
come very near to the fish-cabin and pick up such 
refuse as it finds. The voice of this crow is quite 
different from that of the common bird and yet not 
easily described. The two must be compared and 
then they will be readily recognized. The bird itself 
11* 
