THE CKOW AND ITS EELATION TO MAN. 67 
(Zapus hudsonius) in one, and a ground squirrel {Citellus tridecim- 
lineatus) in another. Short-tailed shrews (Blarina hrevicauda) (in 
two stomachs) and bats (in two stomachs) also were eaten by nest- 
ling crows. 
A consideration of the economic aspects of the carnivorous habits 
of the crow in relation to mammals is presented on pages 38-40. 
CABBION. 
Carrion formed 3.95 per cent of the food of the nestling crows 
examined, as compared with 2.13 per cent for the adults during 
approximately the same period (see Table II). As it is frequently 
impossible to determine with absolute certainty the character of 
animal food, the proportion may be subject to revision. Remains of 
rabbits, chickens, and parts of larger carcasses have been included 
under this head. 
Vegetable Pood. 
cobn. 
Of the vegetable food of the nestling crow, which formed 16.53 
per cent of the diet, corn is the most important item. Some farmers 
have considered that the depredations on this grain in sprouting time 
are due largely to the nestlings' desire for the soft, germinating 
kernel, but stomach analysis has disproved this. Corn was found 
to constitute 11.91 per cent of the young crow's food, a third of the 
proportion taken by the adult during approximately the same time. 
The frequency with which these young birds eat this grain, however, 
gives the impression that their capabilities in this direction are more 
nearly akin to those of their parents. Of the 778 nestling crows ex- 
amined, 351 (15.5 per cent) had fed on corn, as compared with 821 
(61.49 per cent) of the 1,340 adults. 
The limited quantities of corn consumed by the nestlings can better 
be appreciated when it is considered only 68 of the 778 had subsisted 
on it to the extent of more than half their food. Almost invariably 
the stomachs containing large quantities were those of nearly fledged 
birds, the character of whose food habits was rapidly approaching 
that of the adults. Corn eaten by nestlings less than a week old is 
practically negligible in quantity. 
SMALL GBAINS. 
Grain other than corn forms a small portion of the food of the 
nestling crow, but additional material collected in the Northwest may 
reveal greater activities along this line. Only 7 of the 778 nestlings 
had fed on wheat, 11 on oats, and 4 on buckwheat. 
