. Bulletin - Biological Survey. Zoology, Economic. GKAIN. 65 Sassafras planted by birds on arable land is not so easily exterminated. On the Hungerford farm it almost choked a peach orchard of several acres. On the Bryan farm it attained such a growth in a cornfield previoush^ used for grass that it had to be cut down with brush hooks (PL XI, fig. 1). In another part of the same lot high-bush blackber- ries sown by birds had to be similarly eradicated. v.—GRAIN. Grain had entered into the food of 38 out of the 645 birds examined. Of these 21 had picked up waste kernels and 17 had secured valua
. Bulletin - Biological Survey. Zoology, Economic. GKAIN. 65 Sassafras planted by birds on arable land is not so easily exterminated. On the Hungerford farm it almost choked a peach orchard of several acres. On the Bryan farm it attained such a growth in a cornfield previoush^ used for grass that it had to be cut down with brush hooks (PL XI, fig. 1). In another part of the same lot high-bush blackber- ries sown by birds had to be similarly eradicated. v.—GRAIN. Grain had entered into the food of 38 out of the 645 birds examined. Of these 21 had picked up waste kernels and 17 had secured valuable grain, which, however, amounted to but per cent of the food of all the birds. Crow.—The crow (fig. 24) is by all odds the worst pilferer of the cornfield. Every year at Marshall Hall, as elsewhere, a part of the field must be replanted because of his 'pickings and stealings.' In 1899 the replanting was more ex- tensive than usual, requiring on the 39-acre field 1 bushel 2i pecks, 46 percent of the 3^ bushels origi- nally planted. This unusual ratio was probably caused by the fail- ure of the cherry crop, which left the crow short of food. The pro- tective device of tarring seed corn is employed to some extent on the Hungerford farm. In June, 1899, I planted two rows of corn, one tarred, on the edge of lot 4, near a nest of 3^oung crows. When the seed sprouted 3 kernels were pulled from the untarred row, and 7 plants were uprooted from the tarred row, the kernels of which were left intact. On May 30, 1901, a field of sprouting tarred corn on the Hungerford place was visited. In spite of the fact that a field of unprotected corn adjoined it, crows came to this field, perhaps because it was nearer woods. After three of them had walked about among the hills for fifteen minutes the place was inspected. Only three plants had been pulled up, but in each case the grain had been removed. It may be mentioned here that at Wayland, Mass., during June, 1901, crows pulled a larg
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