coast and the estuaries of larger streams, while the upland crow usually is 
only a visitor there.. The fish crow occurs regularly as far northas 
Connecticut, but is only a straggler beyond that State. It is more common 
southward. Grows eat almost anything, and the upland species is sometimes 
quite injurious to crops. The fish crow has little contact with farms, 
but shares with its inland relative 2 fondness for the eggs and young of 
other birds that sometimes seems too pronounced from man's point of view. 
In the salt marshes, undoubtedly a high percentage of the eggs eaten by 
the crows are those of the clapper rail, or marsh hen, and it has never 
even béen suggested that the numbers of that bird are thereby reduced, Un- 
der some conditions, as after the flooding-of nests of clapper rails and 
other birds in salt marshes by exceptionally high tides, eggs are washed 
out in windrows, and then their consumption by crows has no bad signifi- 
cance. The writer has heard crows condemned on account of the number of 
eggshells under their nesting trees, when it was perfectly evident that 
most of these were from drowned-out nests of the clapper rail. This is 
said in extenuation of crows because of the prevalence of immoderate con- 
demmation. The lesson is to observe carefully 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 done what seems necessary 
but no more. 
Kingfisher 
The kingfisher will come to salt marshes where there are bare 
limbs, stakes, or other exposed perches. This slaty blue bird Clee 
14 3/4 inches long) has a ring sround the neck, underparts chiefly white, 
and a well-defined erectile crest. The bill is stout and longer than the 
head. A cinnamon band across the breast below the slaty blue one pos— 
sessed by both sexes marks the female. 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 Massachusetts southward. 
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 usuelly done by shooting or 
trapping, but screening all ponds of moderate size would be preferable. 
Grackles 
The boat-tailed grackle, almost universally called "jackdaw", is 
a bird of the coast from southern Delaware southward. The male is most- 
ly black, with bluish and greenish reflections, while the female is 
chiefly buffy browm, with wings and tail darker. The male measures IL) 
to 17 inches, of which more than a third is tail; the female is smaller, 
lig stoma inches. The.tail. is trough shaped, a character particularly 
well disolayed in flight. These birds feed a great deal about salt 
marshes, are not afraid of the water in which they wade, and submerge 
their heads in search of shrimps, small crabs, and snails. They eat 
crawfishes and insects also and occasionally damage grainfields near 
the coast. Jackdaws are quite noisy, making a variety of harsh, 
guttural, calls. The purple grackle, an inland species, somewhat 
smaller, with the sexes more nearly alike in dark and metallic colora- 
tion, mey sometimes visit the marshes and be seen in company with the 
boattails. 
