The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1901-04-21
CROWS And THEIR TRAITS
Peculiarities of a Prolific Though
Useless Bird.
Over n Million of This Clnnnish Spe-
cies known tn Roost in This Vi
cfnity-Hou They Gather Food.
Price Once on Their Heads.

A Price once on Iheir he"us'
Probably next to he English sparrow
in point of general worthlessness is
the old field crow. 1t is known that
one stretch of timber has provided
sleeping quarters for as many a mil
lion crows crows during the winter
months when these black birds are wont
to huddle themselves together to keep
from freezing and in order that they
may be enabled to resume their depre-
datons upon the grain of the fields as
soon as the weather and the crop con-
ditions will permit. In many localities
crows flock together at night and ire
quently 100000 TO 100000, a sufficient num-
Der to devastate farm in a single day.
find roosting places in the tall trees OF a
few acres.
1t is imposslV.e to estimate the number
of crows in this country alone, but II Is
probable that there are at least two or
three for every one of the seVenty-ilVe
millions of human beings in the United
States And this guess may only fan
short Of the actual number by a few hun
dred millions. The birds are not worth
the trouble it would take to ascertain the
fact That is. unless every State in the
union would do as Maryland once did
enact a law allowing 3 cents for every
crows head presented in payment of
taxes.
About the most sensible thing the crow
has ever been known to do is to gather
shell FISH along the shores, bays, and 9TH
er sheets of salt water, and. after flying
high into the air to drop them clam or
mussel or oyster upon the rocky surface
below cracking the shell and enabling the
bird to get at the meat within. This is
one of the rarest tricks of the crow, as
a type of bird, although Emperor William
has a pet crow that affords his Imperial
Majesty great amusement by marching
before a column Of soldiers on dress pa
rade with all the manifest air and i'm
pulse of the genuine German hussar-
NOT HIGHLY RESPECTED As BIRDS.
The crow however is a much more in
teresting bird than most people think. To
most minds he is simply loathesome,
carrion-eating bird with a thieving dis
position. In short, he is regarded as
diabolical and fit only TO be shot. Crows
are VIGOROUSLY clannish, and except dur
ing a few weeks of nesting time are ac-
tually seen in fiocks. Moreover, even
while nesting they are more or less gre
garious, for although two nests are sell
dom built on the same tree, yet half
dozen pairs often build within easy hear
disturbed all are likely TO unite for COM
mon protection or protest. During migra-
ton crows commonly travel in iiocks of
varying size, and in autumn they congre-
gate in large numbers, but only during
winter do they unite to roost in immense
communities. Many roosts are known
where not less than 10000 crows spend
the night during winter, and It is claim
ed that the roost near Bristol. Pa
accommodates more than a million of the
big black birds nightly during the cold
season.
Most of these roosting places have been
used year after year in the same way
the same individual trees for scores of
years and the same general locality prob
ably for centuries.
Some Of the roosts are in thick pines
OF other evergreens not necessarily large
trees, but such as afford protection dur
ing storms. Others are in oaks, naples.
poplars, etc, while thick growths of will
low and alder are chosen OCCASIONALLY.
On the Delaware River crows have
roasted among reeds or coarse grass ard
bruShwood overgrowing low islands.
Whatever be the nature of the place cho-
sen, crows often begin to gather in the
neighborhood several hours before night
fall, but do not actually settle upon the
roost until II is almost dark. They be-
gin to leave the roost soon after day
break, scattering over the surrounding
country for several miles around.
Seven miles southwest from Baltimore
half mile southeast of Arbutus Station,
Ola the Baltimore and Potomac Railway,
is tract of land a half mile square
on which are several patches of woods
VIII ch furnish roosting ground for a
winter colony Of crows. 1t seems from
the testimony of the owners of this land
that the crows have roasted there for
about twelve years, having previously &C.
cupied piece of woods half mile or
more to the westward. which they aban-
doned when house-building and wood
cutting by the inhabitants made it unde
sirable
Il determination of the exact number of
crows that gather here is rot possible,
but even the most conservative observers
place 1t among the hundreds of thou
sands.
At various times estimates Of the num-
Der of crows resorting to the rooSt in and
near Arlington Cemetery, Just across the
Potomac from Washington, have been
made. Examination of the woods at one
time showed that the colony occupied
twelve TO fifteen acres. Counting 1900 to
the acre the total would be from 10000
to 10000 crows The most conservative
estimate Of the number roosting at any
one point !. the vicinity placed the num-
Der at 35,6g1
CROWS HEADS FOR TAXEs
The immense winter colonies of crows
in Tie neighborhood of Chesapeake Bay
early attracted the attention of naturali-
lists, and it was in the years 1900 to 1904
that they increased so rapidly and were
so destructive I'm Maryland that the State
Government. to hasten their diminution
received their heads in payment for tax
es, at the price of cents each The
storekeepers bought them of the bows and
hunters. who had no taxes to pay, at a
rather lower rate, or exchanged powder
and shot for them. This measure caused
great havoc among the crows and in Z
few years so greatly diminished their
numbers that the bounty was withdrawn
Two modes of shooting them in con-
siderable number were followed, and with
great success; one that of killing them
on the wing while on their way to the
roosts and the other attacking them al
night in their roost after they had been
asleep for several hours. But the grand
harvest ofecrow heads was derived from
invasion Of their lodging places. The
ro9st is most commonly the densest pine
lhicket that can be found. generally at no
great distance from some river, bay or
other sheet of water which is the last 10
freeze or rarely is altogether frozen
Endless columns pour in from various
quarters and pitch upon their accustomed
perches, crowding close together for the
beneht Of the warmth and the shelter af-
forded by the thick foliage OF the pine
their weight
There IS one roost Of great age and mag
nihcent extent in the vicinity OF Rock
creek, an arm of the Patapsco. There are
also numerous roosts on the rivers open
Ing into the Chesapeake Bay, and are ev-
erywhere similar In their general aspect
To gather crows heads from the roosts
very large party was made up according
TO the extent Of surface occupied by the
roost. Armed with double-barreled shot
guns nd duck guns. which threw a large
charge Of shot. the company was divided
into small parties, and took stations Sc
lected during the daytime so as TO sur
round the rOost nearly a possible. A
dark night was always preferred. as the
crows could not fly far when alarmed
and the attack was delayed until nearly
midnight. Ali being at their posts the fir
aFFuNW hNH hoo N0slasa