GROWS 
The crow is generally regarded as man’s enemy. Its black color has made 
it a bird of evil omen like the larger raven, and its appetite is known 
to be indiscriminate and insatiable. Actually, its fondness for corn, poultry, 
eggs and young lambs does justify to an extent the farmer’s hatred. More¬ 
over, the crow is unimpressed by scarecrows and is exceedingly difficult to 
shoot, possessing an uncanny instinct as to the purpose and range of guns. 
As a consequence bounties are offered for these birds in many states. 
On the other hand, crows are also beneficial to man. They eat grass¬ 
hoppers, locusts, caterpillars and other insects harmful to crops. A farmer 
on the island of Martha’s Vineyard offered a bounty of fifty cents apiece 
for crows, with the result that his grass stopped growing, its roots eaten 
by an insect grub which the crows had previously destroyed. 
Crows make their nests in trees, often as high as sixty feet above the 
ground. The nests are large, well-built structures of sticks, comfortably 
lined with shreds of grape or squash vine, cedar bark, grass, seaweed, 
leaves, rags or fur. In many instances three crows nest together. Whether 
this indicates polygamy or polyandry is still a moot question. All three 
help in the nest building and incubating, and live together harmoniously. 
From three to eight eggs are laid, although it is thought that the larger 
number is laid by two females. 
The young require constant feeding and attention. Parents are par¬ 
ticularly valiant in defending their young against eagles, hawks, owls and 
raccoons. 
When taken young, crows make amusing and mischievous pets. They 
can learn to talk almost as well as parrots. 
Henry Ward Beecher once said: “If men wore feathers and wings, a 
very few of them would be clever enough to be crows.” Crows have a highly 
developed social instinct. A bird which fell into the sea and was unable to 
rise was helped to shore first by one comrade, then by others. Crows quickly 
learn where they are safe from guns. Over Puget Sound, where they have 
the protection of the law, they have grown extremely tame, 
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