THE pAME BREEDER 



17 



in numbers of our game birds, such as before my own eyes, and have evidence 



grouse and quail and many smaller in- of many more. Every, season, late in 



sectivorous species, be attributed to the May or early in June, the crows make 



crow ? a raid on the birds nesting in the shade 



(7) Has there been a bounty system trees along our village streets and in 

 on crows in force in your vicinity in re- orchards and private grounds, systemat- 

 cent years ; if so, has it noticeably re- ically searching every tree, destroying 

 duced the numbers of this bird ? nests, and eating or carrying away the 



(8) Additional remarks will be ap- eggs and young." He rates the crow as 

 preciated the most destructive of all the natural 



Mr. Forbush, in his report, says : "The enemies of birds, 



crow is now regarded by so many people Anson O. Howard, of East North- 





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Portrait of Crow— Taken by Himself. From Bird-Lore. 



as a useful and much-maligned bird, that 

 it may not be out of place to present 

 some of the evidence against it. I have 

 repeatedly observed crows in the act of 

 destroying the eggs and young of other 

 birds; they are so addicted to nest-rob- 

 bing that it is a wonder that any young 

 of the smaller birds can be reared where 

 crows are numerous, and my experience 

 indicates that in some cases very few are 

 actually reared in such localities." 



In a letter to Mr. Forbush, Mr. Ingalls 

 says : "I have seen the nests of many 

 birds of several species, from the ruffed 

 grouse to the red-eye and chippy, robbed 



field, Mass., writes: "For the past ten 

 years, during the breeding season of the 

 birds, from the last of May through June 

 and July of each year, I have watched 

 the crows eat the eggs and little birds. 

 T have watched them start at 4 o'clock 

 in the morning, or a little later, and 

 hunt over the shade trees that line the 

 streets for the eggs and young birds, 

 even going into the trees that stand close 

 to the buildings, where people would not 

 think a crow would ever go. This is 

 done, of course, before people rise; and 

 as soon as any one stirs out they will 

 leave, but will begin the next morning 



