Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1900-08-01
FARMERS BIRD ENEMIES.
Two Of the Most Common Ones In
Hancock County.


Tie last bulletin OF the State board Of
agriculture is devoted largely to bird
enen,ies OF the farmer. Ora W. knight,
who has made the subject careful study,
contributes an interesting article giving
tue birds credit for the good they do as
against the evil, aud striking balance.
Fwo OF the most common bird enemies
are the crow and English sparrow. OF
these Mr.. Knight says:
THE CROW.
Every farmer In the State should know
that common ard generally distributed
bird, the crow. la the interior sections
few pair remain ali winter, feeding on
such carbon matter rs may be found, aud
also, then the snow is not too deep, catch
ing and destroying many meadow mice.
Along the coast they are common ali win
ter and feed largely on sea-urchins and
other forms OF marine life.
AS soon AS the SNOW is gone crows may
be seen wandering over the fields, en-
gagged ia destroying iarsg OF the June
beetle, cut-woriu and other injurious in
sects. When the fields have just been
plowed, large fiocks OF crows aiight and
destroy thousands OF larSe OF the June
beetle (LdchnosterHa), and other insects
which have been exposed to their keen
gaze. AS soon the corn and other
grain Is planted aud mas begun to sprout,
they begin to take toll In payment for the
services rendered by destroying injurious
insects, aud unless fought understand
ingiy will often do Il great deal OF harm.
Scarcecrows and other similar means will
not serve to keep the WHY birds away
from the sprouting grain, but II the seed
be treated with liquid tar before planting,
so As to have even only traces adhering, it
renders the grain so unpalatabie that 1t
Will not be dist us bed, and its termination
is not impaired By this treatment.
Even " hen In field engaged In eating
the sprouting grain, the crows take
almost an equal quantity OF injurious
insects. The young birds are fed almost
entirely on insects, and the stomachs OF
several nestlings examined by the author
contained lsrye OF the June beetle,
grasshoppers, small beetles and other
mangled remains of insects. The stomach
OF an adult femate bird examined at
about the same date, carly in May, was
entirely filled with OATS. Crows which
were shot in lily had been feeding
almost entirely on the small bird cherry
and chokecherry. In August they con-
sumo large mum beers OF grasshoppers as
well As various small wild fruits, aud also
a little sweet corn In the ''miIk state"
Perhaps the greatest harm done by the
crows, next to the destruction of grain, is
in killing young chickens. A number OF
chickens belonging TO the Maine Expert
ment Station were killed in 1899 and 1900
by the crows. The man who had charge
o: the chickens said that when they were
very young they were lugged on bodily
by the crows, and that when they got
older their eyes were pecked out, and
they were otherwise mutiiated, but after
they were six or seven weeks old they
were not molested. Other complaints OF
a similar nature have been made by far
mers throughout the State. Crows Will
also destroy the eggs of many OF our wild
birds, and young birds of all kinds are a
delicacy to them.
Along the coast, sea-urchins are
favorite article of diet, and mussels are
also eagerly devoured. These are carried
into the air and dropped on rocks SO as
crack the shells and render the inmates
accessible. The crow also destroys many
eggs OF the seabirds which breed on the
outer islands.
Briefly summed up, the crow does harm
by eating sprouting grain, corn In the
milk, young chickens, eggs OF wild and
domestic birds, and the young OF wild
birds. 1t does good by destroying thous-
ands OF June-beetles tLachnosterna),
grasshoppers, other injurious insects, and
goodly numbers OF meadow mice and