6 
tributecl its abundance to-dav. Driven from the field by the hundred and 
one devices of the husbandman, shot, trapped and poisoned, they will 
continue to play the part Nature intended they should, and can only be¬ 
come extinct with the extermination of that which gives life to the 
country—the timber. 
We are indebted to the pioneer ornithologists, and to some of the present- 
day popular writers (the latter making no display of scientific attainments) 
for almost all we know'of the habits of this and many other common 
species. A well prepared bibliography is beyond the scope of this present 
article, and the following original notes on the general habits, flight, food, 
etc., contributed from widely scattered localities, will unquestionably be 
acceptable to those interested from a scientific or economic standpoint 
Dr. William Bringhurst, Philadelphia, Pa. — “ The American Crow re¬ 
mains with us throughout the Winter season, retiring on the accession of 
severe weather, to thickly wooded, hilly or mountainous regions. I live 
in a populous part of the city. At sunset Crows may be seen winging 
their way to their roosting places in New Jersey, returning in the morn¬ 
ing and retiring to long distances inland, though some may remain nearer 
to us The pine woods of New Jersey affords them a safe retreat. Reedy 
Island, at the head of Delaware Bay, being solitary and at a distance 
from the haunts of man. used to be a famous resort for them, and likely 
is yet. They are astute birds, keeping well out of the way of man, 
seeming to know a gun from a stick. A pair built a nest in Logan Square 
and probably raised their young (See Situation of' .Vests.) As birds, 
animals, etc . are safe from molestation in these public parks, and can 
rear their young free from danger of attack by man, they soon acquire a 
degree of confidence.” 
John A Bryant, Kansas City Mo “To the public, the best known 
bird of all our species is the Crow This species is noted for its thievish¬ 
ness. and its high degree of cunning seems to go beyond mere instinct. 
It feeds principally on carrion, fish and insects, and the young and eggs 
of both birds and reptiles Last Spring I was a witness to this bird's 
great voraciousness. I was driving along a country road when I noticed 
a Crow fly down into a farm yard, close to a hen with a number of chick¬ 
ens about two weeks old ; it singled out a straggler, and deliberately 
pecked it two or three times, entirely disabling it. The chick’s cry of dis¬ 
tress brought the angry parent to the rescue. The Crow was driven awav 
a few paces ; but a moment later, when the hen’s attention was drawn 
away from the wounded chick, the Crow seized his struggling victim, and 
flying a short distance, devoured it. 
As another case of this species’ greediness, as well as its acute sense of 
