130 
OUR HOME BIRDS. 
in g them a whole day. It will perch on a tree while 
the hunter is baiting his marten-traps, and as soon 
as his back is turned alight on the ground and eat 
the baits. 
“ Besides devouring grain and insects, crows will 
eat frogs, tadpoles, small fish, lizards, and shellfish. 
The latter they deal with in quite an original way, 
by carrying them to a great height and then drop- 
ping them on the rocks below to break their shells. 
When this is accomplished they descend for the con- 
tents. For this reason, and because of their feeding 
also on various aquatic insects and plants, they are 
usually numerous on the seashore and along the 
banks of large rivers. 
“ And now I will finish the subject of crows with 
a plea for birds generally that I met with lately, and 
which gave me a great deal of pleasure. These are 
good and sound words for all to remember : 
a ‘ The swallow, swift, and nighthawk are the guar- 
dians of the atmosphere. They check the increase of 
insects that otherwise would overload it. Woodpeck- 
ers, creepers, and chickadees are the guardians of the 
trunks of trees ; warblers and fly-catchers protect the 
foliage ; blackbirds, crows, thrushes, and larks protect 
the surface of the soil ; snipe and woodcock protect 
the soil under the surface. Each tribe has its respec- 
tive duties to perform in the economy of Nature; and 
