WILDLIFE OF THE ATLANTIC COAST SALT MARSHES 



23 



habits of crows because of the prevalence of immoderate condemna- 

 tion. The lesson is to observe carefully and to find out all possible 

 about crow-egg relationships, or for that matter about any wildlife 

 problem, before taking any action. Then there should be clone what 

 seems necessary, but no more. 



KINGFISHER 



The belted kingfisher (Megaceryle alcyon) (fig. 9) frequents salt 

 marshes where there are bare limbs, stakes, or other exposed perches. 

 This slaty-blue bird 

 (11 to 143/4 inches 

 long) has a ring 

 around the neck and 

 the underparts chief- 

 ly white, and a well- 

 defined erectile crest. 

 The bill is stout and 

 longer than the head. 

 The female is 

 marked by a cinna- 

 mon band across the 

 breast below the 

 slaty-blue one pos- 

 sessed by both sexes. 

 The bird frequently 

 utters a loud, harsh 

 rattle. It breeds in 

 holes in banks from 

 southeastern Canada 

 to South America 

 and winters along 

 the coast from Mas- 

 sachusetts south- 

 ward. It captures 

 fishes by plunging 

 for them, and its 

 fishing in salt 

 marshes probably 

 does little harm. The 

 bird must, however, 

 be controlled about 

 fish hatcheries and 

 rearing ponds. This 



is usually done by shooting or trapping, but screening all fishponds 

 of moderate size would be preferable. 5 



GRACKLES 



The boat-tailed grackle (Cassidix mexicanus) (fig. 10), almost uni- 

 versally called jackdaw, is a bird of the coast from southern Dela- 

 ware southward. The male is mostly black, with bluish and greenish 

 reflections, while the female is chiefly buffy brown, with wings and 

 tail darker. The male measures 15 to 17 inches, of which more than 



Figure 9. — Belted kingfisher. 



See footnote 3, p. 12. 



