Shepherdstown register. [volume] (Shepherdstown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1849-1955, 1885-03-20
written Tor THE Rlsrsrzel
Some F1ots About the Grow.

-Iffarmers had their attention called
more frequently to the mischief done
by these arrant thieves. they would, no
doubt, take more active measures for
exterminsting them. Each crowcwfll
eat at least half pint, Of corn a,day
when attainable, and when one COM
putes the large hecks Of Thorn that are
seen In the autumn and winter months,
blaekening the corn-felds, where the
UNIV ise farmers allow their corn to re-
main in the shock, 1t Is easy to UNDER
stand the great loss that results. But
this, though bad enough, is BY no means
the worst of their sins. The great In
jury they do the rural districts Is In the
immense number Of eggs and young OF
our most useful birds that they destroy.
Farmers should learn toknow who are
their best friends, and do everything In
their power to protect the song-birds.
The American -sparrows, wrens, and
tirely upon insects until they reach the
adult stage. "For four weeks ut the
lowest estimate" to quote from DR..
Samuel's valuable work OH Northern
and Eastern Birds, "the young OF our
sparrows are fed on this diet, and the
family that the crow destroys would In
that time eat at least l3,440 noxions In
sects, and, as they feed more or less on
the same diet during their stay with US,
killing eertainly as many as fifty insects
each daily, the family of young would
6evour two hundred per diem, or, be-
fore they leave us In September, a.
many as twenty thousand"
Bradley says that pair Of old SPAR
rows will destroy 1850 caterpiliars for
a weeks family supplies.
Thrushes, warblers, robins, bluebirds,
&C., are all exceedingly valuable for the
same cause. 4 pair Of thrushes has
been seen to carry over bundled In
sects, principally caterpillars, to their
Young in less than an hours time. If
we suppose that.the family mentioned
should be fed for only six hours In the
day, they would eat six hundred per
diem, at least while they remain In the
nest, which being three weeks the
amount would be l2,e00; iand before
they leave US in the fall, allowing only
fifty each per day, a very small num-
Der, they would In the aggregate, Kill
twenty thousand more.
Now, we find that one crow in one
day destroys birds that would together
eat 90 ,040 insects before they would
leave US for their winter homes, or about
ninety-six times as many ms the crow
would eat in day If its food consisted
entirely of insects. 1t does eat some In
seets, but prefers eggs and young birds
to any other food.
have not space to quote all the facts
by which DIR. Samuels concludes that
the crow is not only worthless, but ruin
ously destructive, and will only say
farther that Jays are equally injurious.
They do not deserve moments iudul-
gence or protection at the hands of the
ruralist.
In Massachusetts they are fast dimin-
ishing, as thousands are there poisoned
yearly by the use Of strychnine. If
something is not done in this neighbor-
hood for their destruc..iiccGG - .hey viii be-
come greater nuisance year by year.
As far as / know, their only enemy is
the hawk, and perhaps the black snake,
which destroys their eggs and young.
1t is said that they have an immense
roost near Harper's Ferry. If the exact
locality be known it might be possible
to give them night surprise and have
grand battue.
About the first of May the crows sep
arate into pairs. Their eggs are four in
number. They are such wary birds
that they are exceedingly difficult to
shoot, but if the sportsman be so lucky
as to wound one its cries will speedily
bring others to the spot, and they then
become very easy to kill. This might
be good sport TO those who enjoy killing
birds. But perhaps the plan Of poison
ing corn in the fields is the most prac-
ticable, after all.
D. D.