THE CROW, BIRD CITIZEN OF EVERY LAND 



323 



or certain religious sects, have to a re- 

 markable degree preserved their odd 

 mannerisms through many ages. Their 

 bold sagacity and, above all, their ability 

 to eke out a living in environments that 

 Nature seems to have neglected have 

 stood them in good stead in their strug- 

 gle for existence. Be it a raven, or jack- 

 daw, chough, rook, or crow, its corvine 

 attributes are at once recognizable. 



Each of the species has peculiarities all 

 its own, but the characteristics that are 

 common to all, the family marks of rec- 

 ognition, are the ones that readily appeal 

 to any one, and have resulted in the crows 

 and ravens holding a distinctive place in 

 bird lore. 



A SUBJECT FOR POETS, FABUEISTS, AND 

 MEN OF SCIENCE 



Probably more has been written of 

 crows and ravens than any other group of 

 birds. From ancient myth and fable to the 

 poetry and prose of modern times, litera- 

 ture is replete with allusions to them. 



In this article the author will endeavor 

 to present, in a way understandable to all, 

 some of the principal findings of his in- 

 vestigation of the food habits of our 

 crows, the full results of which were pub- 

 lished as Department Bulletin 621 of the 

 U. S. Department of Agriculture — "The 

 Crow and its Relation to Man." 



The preparation of this bulletin en- 

 tailed the examination of the stomachs, of 

 more than 2,100 crows from all parts of 

 the bird's range, supplemented by field 

 observations of many able ornithologists 

 and practical farmers. A period of about 

 five years, with some interruptions, was 

 consumed in stomach examinations alone, 

 using the best of laboratory equipment, 

 including extensive collections of insects, 

 crustaceans, mollusks, vertebrates, seeds, 

 and other possible food items for com- 

 parison, and with the collaboration of 

 specialists in the different groups. 



Future days may bring about changes 

 in the relative abundance of crows, in the 

 character of crops raised, or even in the 

 feeding habits of the birds themselves, 

 but while present conditions prevail the 

 results of this investigation must be 

 looked upon as authentic (see page 331 ) . 



To most people a crow is a crow, and 

 few realize that within the borders of the 



United States there are no less than nine 

 different forms of corvine birds. Three 

 of these are ravens and six are crows. 



At least four of the six recognized 

 forms of crows present in the United 

 States are simply geographical races of 

 the one species, the common crow, differ- 

 ing chiefly in the dimensions of the wing, 

 tail, and bill, and in any treatment of the 

 subject outside of the naturalist's cloister 

 may well be considered as one. In food 

 habits, and hence in economic signifi- 

 cance, the members of these four races 

 are as much alike as the varying food in 

 their respective ranges permits. Another 

 form, inhabiting the coastal region from 

 Puget Sound to Alaska, is by some au- 

 thorities also considered a geographic 

 race, but in food habits this bird, the 

 northwest crow, is quite distinctive. 



The combined breeding ranges of these 

 five races give a distribution to the com- 

 mon crow that extends to the North 

 nearly to the Arctic Circle, throughout 

 northern Manitoba, Ontario, central Que- 

 bec, and eastward into Newfoundland. 

 It is found all along our Atlantic sea- 

 board, well down into the peninsula of 

 Florida, and throughout the Mississippi 

 Valley, south to the Gulf coast. In the 

 West crows are found locally in Califor- 

 nia and abundantly in Washington and 

 Oregon — in diminishing numbers north 

 to Alaska. Throughout the Rocky Moun- 

 tain area and the arid regions of the 

 Southwest they are not common. 



In addition to the widely distributed 

 common crow, there is one other form, 

 quite distinct from it in food habits and 

 economic influence, the fish-crow of the 

 South Atlantic and Gulf coasts. While 

 something is known of the food prefer- 

 ences of this odd maritime species, a full 

 appreciation of its economic influence is 

 dependent on more extensive laboratory 

 and field work. 



CROWS ARE MODEE PARENTS 



The home life of crows is very orderly 

 and need hardly be mentioned. As par- 

 ents, they are models in the avian world. 

 The nest, which is well concealed from 

 below during the breeding season, is 

 placed at heights varying from 20 to 60 

 feet. Here are laid from three to seven 

 eggs, which in our Southern States may 



