18 THE GAME BREEDER 



just the same. Any one can plainly see- same thing done again, although this 



what they are up to." nest was in another cedar. At another 



Samuel S. Symmes, of Winchester, time I saw a crow visit a robin's nest in 



says : "I have many times seen crows an oak tree. This nest contained young 



eating robin's eggs and have also seen birds perhaps a week old, and despite 



them flying from nests with the young the protests of the parent birds, they 



birds in their beaks." were all carried away, apparently to feed 



S. F. Stockwell, of Auburn, Mass., the crow's young." Mr. Carr saw a 



says: 'T have seen crows come to the crow fly over the house which had in 



eaves of a house and take young robins its bill a young bird, unfeathered, which 



from the nest." he identified as a young robin. 



W. J. Hunter, of Lincoln, Mass., R. H. Cushman, Bernardston, Mass., 



says: "Crows are remarkably plentiful says: "Crows destroy many nests of 



here. Have not known a nest of young eggs. Think them the worst enemy." 



birds to mature this year. Saw a crow Henry N. Smith, South Sudbury, 



take young out of nests right by the Mass., says: 'T have seen crows attack 



tiouse. the nests of our common birds many 



Amelia M. Brastow, of Wrentham, times, and carry off the young birds to 



Mass., writes : "I have seen crows drive be used for feeding their own young dur- 



birds from the nest, and take and eat j^g the nesting season." 



whatever was in it, whether young birds pred H. Kennard, BrookHne, Mass., 



or eggs. writes : 'T have many times seen crows 



L Chester Horton, Ponkapog, Mass., -^ ^he act of robbing birds' nests." 



says : _ The crows visit the orchard very ^^-j 3^ ^^ Springfield, Mass., 



early in the morning, usually about sun- ., ■'ut j 1, w 1 ^ 4. ,.u 



. ^ J, r. 4.1, •• -i. c A writes : I and an absolutely trustworthy 



rise, and after their visit you can find r • , , . ■' . -' 



many nests without eggs, that had a full f"^"^' ^^^^ .°^ '^""^'^^ occasions seen 



complement the day before." ^^o^^, carrying young birds away, 



R. H. Carr, of Brockton, says: 'T saw though we hlave been unable to identify 



a crow drop into the top of a certain the victims. Last June a robin's nest 



cedar in this pasture, and pick the eggs, near my house was despoiled by crows, 



one by one, from a robin's nest there and and three young birds were taken ; the 



eat them. A year or so later I saw the fourth fell to the ground." 



(To be continued.) 



THE BOY WAS IN THE WAY 



By Recapper 



It was a beautiful morning in October, using the pin-fire cartridges. It was 

 1869, and, as I looked out over the built by a Henry Tobin of Bond street, 

 meadows, I wondered if any snipe London; and was a well finished gun, 

 were there. Just then my two setters with twenty-eight inch, twelve-bore bar- 

 came prancing up, telling me by their rels, and weight of six and three-quarter 

 looks and actions, that they were ready, pounds. 



and very anxious to be after game ; and. It was a cylinder-bore, and with the 



as I had a gun, owned by a friend of load I used of two and three-quarter 



mine, to try on game, I decided to go out drams of Hazard's electric black powder, 



for a while. (smokeless powders at that date, being 



The gun was the first breechloader I yet imperf ected ) , and one and one-eighth 



had ever had a chance to try. It was one ounces of number nine shot, made a 



of the old-time, doublegrip, Lefaucheux beautifully even pattern in the thirty inch 



style of mechanism, with lever under the circle, at forty yards. I had gone over 



trigger-guard. Not only that, but also several meadows without my dogs show- 



