9 
{Covvus corax principalis) took possession and no Crows nested there 
that season. There is constant warfare between the two species.” 
H. R. Buck, Wethersfield, Conn. — “Crows are very common with us 
at all seasons and especially so in Winter. Then they collect in large 
flocks, probably recruiting from much further north, and keep together 
pretty well until the breeding season. As a rule they spend the nights in the 
meadows of the Connecticut River, roosting in large numbers in the black 
oak trees, which are abundant in many places. At such times they are per¬ 
haps less watchful than in the day time, but nevertheless they always have 
guards posted, day and night. They can seldom be approached without 
the guards giving the alarm. Some twenty years ago my father shot six¬ 
teen by firing the contents of#a double-barreled gun into a tree where they 
roosted. About dawn they begin to stir, and from sunrise until noon 
there is a steady stream of them flying to the neighboring hills, where 
they pass the day. Here they feed on berries, seeds, and almost anything 
they can pick up. They undoubtedly do good by killing larvae and grubs, 
which they find under bark and leaves. Warm brooks are among their 
favorite feeding grounds, and they sometimes come quite close to farm 
yards in search of such scraps as may be thrown out When the Spring 
thaws come, they may be seen almost constantly feeding on the edges of 
the melting ice, sometimes in company with the Herring Gull (.Larus 
argentatus smithsonianus) which often comes up the river. Here they 
find acorns, berries, and the garbage from towns further up the river. 
They also collect in large numbers about the city dumps, showing a great 
fondness for carrion, and all refuse found in such a place. 
“ As the season advances, they abandon their routine habits, break up 
into smaller parties, and finally into pairs, when they set about the more 
serious business of nesting. In this locality they seem to like the sun¬ 
shine, and avoid the deeper woods. When the eggs hatch, ‘ then the 
trouble begins' for the farmers, as the corn comes up about that time 
and the young birds must eat. I do not think the crows dig up the kernel 
before it sprouts, bat from the time the blade first shows above the ground 
until it is three inches high, they seem to consider it their lawful property. 
They pull up the sprouts for the kernels at the end. The Crow does 
great damage in this way, especially in isolated fields, where the whole 
crop has sometimes to be replanted. There are two methods in use here 
for preventing this loss. The first and oldest way is to stretch white cotton 
strings around and across the field about six feet above the ground. The 
Crow proverbially is a cunning bird, and when he sees the strings, he ex¬ 
pects a trap and seldom goes into the fields. This way has been largely 
given up on account of its inconvenience and cost. The way now follow- 
