8 
The Common Crow . 
“ All of these charges are sustained by the stomach examinations, so far 
as the simple fact that Crows feed upon the substances named. But the 
extent of the injury is a very different matter. 
“ In order to ascertain whether the sum of the harm done outweighs the 
sum of the good, or the contrary, the different kinds of food found in the 
stomachs have been reduced to quantitative percentages and contrasted. 
The total quantity of corn eaten during the entire year amounts to 25 per 
cent, of the food of adult Crows, and only 9'3 per cent, of the food of young 
Crows. Leaving the young out of consideration, it may be said that in 
agricultural districts about one-fourth of the food of Crows consists of corn. 
But less than 14 per cent, of this corn, and only 3 per cent, of the total 
food of the Crow, consists of sprouting corn and corn in the milk ; the 
remaining 86 per cent, of the corn, or 97 per cent, of the total food, is 
chiefly waste grain picked up here and there, mainly in winter, and of no 
economic value. 
“ In the case of cultivated fruits the loss is trivial. The same is true of 
the eggs and young of poultry and wild birds, the total for the year 
amounting to only 1 per cent, of the food. 
“ As an offset to his bad habits, the Crow is to be credited with the good 
done in destroying noxious insects and other injurious animals. Insects 
form 26 per cent, of the entire food, and the great majority of these are 
grasshoppers, May-beetles, cutworms, and other injurious kinds. It is 
shown by Mr. Schwarz that during the May-beetle season, in May and 
June, these beetles form the principal insect food of the Crow. Only a few 
stomachs do not contain them, and stomachs are often filled with them. 
The fact that the May-beetle season coincides with the breeding season of 
the Crow is of special importance, the principal insect food of nestling 
Crows consisting of these beetles. Mr. Schwarz also finds that grasshoppers 
occur in the stomachs throughout the year; that during the May-beetle 
season they occur in the vast majority of stomachs, but usually in moderate 
numbers; that with the disappearance of May-beetles toward the end of 
June they increase in number until in August and throughout the fall they 
constitute by far the greater part of the insect food, often occurring in 
astonishing numbers, and often forming the only insect food. 
“ To the same side of the scale must be added the destruction of mice, 
rabbits, and other injurious rodents by the Crow. 
“ In summing up the benefits and losses resulting from the food habits of 
this bird, it is clear that the good exceeds the bad and that the Crow is a 
friend rather than an enemy of the farmer.” 
This brings us face to face with the other side of the question, namely the 
benefits w r e derive from the crow,—and first of all he kills rabbits. As far as 
America is concerned* :— 
“ Bemains of rabbits are common in Crow stomachs, particularly the 
common cottontail (Lepus sylvaticus) which must count the Crow one of its 
deadly enemies. It is not probable that adult rabbits are often attacked, 
but after the young begin to run about they are frequently pounced upon 
and carried away. On one occasion the writer saw a tragedy of this kind 
while driving along a Maryland road in June. A Crow suddenly sailed over 
the fence and alighted in the road about 100 yards ahead of the horse. As 
he lit, he struck savagely with his bill at some dark object on the ground 
which tried to escape by jumping from side to side, but the Crow followed 
each motion, striking quickly and heavily each time until the animal lay 
* Walter B. Barrows. 
