204 
BIRDS OF PENNSYLVANIA. 
V. They do much harm by the distribution of seeds of poison ivy, poison sumach, 
and perhaps other noxious plants. 
VI. They do much harm by the destruction of beneficial insects. 
On the other hand— 
VII. They do much good by the destruction of injurious insects. 
VIII. They are largely beneficial through their destruction of mice and other 
rodents. 
IX. They are valuable occasionally as scavengers. 
The careful examination of large numbers of stomachs, and the critical study of 
the insect food of the crow, may change materially the present aspect of the ques¬ 
tion ; but so far as the facts at present known enable a judgment to be formed, the 
harm which crows do appears to far outweigh the good. 
Corvus ossifragus Wilson. 
Fish Crow. 
Description. 
Smaller than C. americanus. Glossy black with green and violet reflections ; the 
gloss of head, neck and belly greenish ; a small space at base of lower mandible, on 
each side bare ? ; bill and feet black ; iris brown. Length 14 to 16 inches ; extent 
about 32 inches. 
Habitat .—Atlantic coast, from Long Island to Florida. 
The Fish Crow is a common and abundant resident, during’ all seasons, 
about the maritime districts of most and probably all of the southern 
states. According to Audubon they migrate northward in April and 
ascend the Delaware river in Pennsylvania, nearly to its source, but re¬ 
turn to the south at the approach of cold weather. This bird is also 
found along the Susquehanna from Lancaster southward in the summer. 
Mr. J. Hoopes Matlack informs me that some few years ago he found 
the nest and eggs of this bird along the Brandywine creek, some two or 
three miles from the borough of West Chester. Mr. Gentry writing in 
1877, says he has observed it during the past five or six years nesting 
along the water courses in the neighborhood of Philadelphia. This bird, 
like the preceding species, builds in trees. The nests and eggs of the 
Fish Crow, although smaller, cannot with absolute certainty be distin¬ 
guished from those of the American Crow. The voice of the Fish Crow, 
according to Wilson, is very different from that of the Common Crow, 
being more hoarse and gutteral, uttered as if something had lodged in 
the throat. The common note of this bird, Audubon says, resembles the 
syllables ha, ha , hae, frequently repeated. In referring to the food of 
this species, Audubon writes substantially as follows: While searching 
for food, these birds hover at a moderate height over the water; but 
when they rise in the air, to amuse themselves, they often reach a great 
elevation. Like the Common Crow, the Fish Crow robs other birds of 
their eggs and young. They also prey upon the fiddler-crab, which 
they pursue and dig out of the muddy burrows into which they retire at 
the approach of danger. Small fry are easily secured with their claws 
as they fly close over the water’s surface, from which they also pick up 
