. Birds in their relations to man; a manual of economic ornithology for the United States and Canada . urring throughout theUnited States, though much more abundant in some localitiesthan in others. The birds are wary, having learned wisdomfrom experience, and it is very difficult to get within shootingrange of them. The crime that is most commonly laidagainst them is that of digging or pulling up newly plantedgrains, such as wheat and Indian corn, especially the latter;in the Eastern States this has led to the almost universal use 168 BIRDS IN THEIR RELATIONS TO MAN. of scarecrows of some kin
. Birds in their relations to man; a manual of economic ornithology for the United States and Canada . urring throughout theUnited States, though much more abundant in some localitiesthan in others. The birds are wary, having learned wisdomfrom experience, and it is very difficult to get within shootingrange of them. The crime that is most commonly laidagainst them is that of digging or pulling up newly plantedgrains, such as wheat and Indian corn, especially the latter;in the Eastern States this has led to the almost universal use 168 BIRDS IN THEIR RELATIONS TO MAN. of scarecrows of some kind. The damage done in this wayis sometimes very great, often causing- the loss of one-thirdof the crop, although, as a rule, the injury is slight. Thisseems to be an acquired habit, belonging to comparativelyfew of the crows. One Missouri observer reports that heonce saw eight crows in his corn-field, two parents and sixyoung. One was pulling the corn, one standing idle, and sixeating the grain after it was pulled up.* Isolated fields andthose near the nesting-sites are usually much more liable to. THE COMMON After Warren.) injury than others. Later in the season, when the corn isin the soft, milky stage preceding ripening, the crows againattack it, tearing the husks from the ears and picking out thekernels. In some parts of New England and Canada the crow isaccused of serious injury to recently planted potato the plants appear above ground the birds pull them upto get at and devour the partially decayed tubers that wereused for seed/1 In the South rice and pea-nuts are said to THE ORIOLES, BLACKBIRDS, CROWS, AND JAYS. 169 be also attacked, while in various regions injuries to smallfruits have been reported. One of the most serious flaws in the character of the crowis his fondness for eggs and young birds, either in the poultry-yard or out of it. In some localities crows are more dreadedby the poultry-keepers than hawks, as they destroy youngchickens before t
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