THE CROW AND ITS RELATION TO MAN". 63 
contents. A few other crusteceans similar to those found in the 
stomachs of adults also were eaten by the young (see p. 26). 
MOLLUSKS AND FISHES. 
Mollusks and fishes constitute an unimportant portion of the food 
of nestling crows, being negligible both in quantity (0.68 per cent) 
and in economic significance. Mollusks, most of which were land 
snails, were found only occasionally. Fish remains occurred more 
frequently, but it is evident that the consumption of such food is con- 
trolled largely by local conditions. Young secured in Dallas County, 
Mo., had eaten more than any others. Each individual of two broods 
of five and three, respectively, collected there, had fed on fish, which 
constituted about 17 per cent of the diet. This is the most extensive 
work of the kind noted among nestlings. 
KEPTILES AND AMPHIBIANS. 
Reptiles and amphibians, in about equal portions, comprised 7.04 
per cent of the food of nestlings. Reptiles occurred in 231 of the 
778 stomachs, and, as in the case of the adults (see p. 28), snakes 
made up the bulk. These were found in 140 of the 231 stomachs in 
which reptiles occurred. A fully fledged young crow secured in 
Wisconsin had its stomach filled with the vertebrae and other bones 
of a small snake, and in nine other cases such food formed over 
three-fourths of the contents. Ofttimes it was apparent that parts of 
a large snake or turtle had been passed to several members of a 
brood ; in fact this procedure appeared to be the rule rather than the 
exception, and a few cases were noted where every member of a fam- 
ily, old and young, apparently had shared with the others some par- 
ticularly highly prized morsel. The eastern ring-necked snake (Dia- 
dophis punctatus) and a blue racer (Zamenis constrictor) were the 
only reptiles specifically identified in these stomachs. 
Toads, frogs, and salamanders were present in 208 of the 778 
stomachs, a much .higher proportion than in stomachs of adults, 
where only 153 of 1,340 contained such food. In over half of these 
(110) the remains of frogs (Ranidaa) were identified, in 13 there were 
toads (Bufonidae), and in 53, salamanders. Doubtless additional 
members of one or another of these groups were among the material 
which was too far advanced in digestion to be identified other than 
merely as amphibian. In most instances the feeding was confined to 
an individual toad or frog, and often parts of the same animal would 
be passed to one or more of a brood. In fact, this was so frequently 
the case among nestlings that while amphibians were present in 208 
stomachs, the actual number of individuals taken was somewhat less. 
