igo3] Smith — My Pet Crows, 103 



crows, I had four birds, one of which I gave to a neighbor boy, 

 and was sorry for it afterwards, for he neglected it and it died. 

 One got hurt and came to nothing ; but the other two grew to be 

 beautiful sleek birds, and became great pets. They would follow 

 me anywhere and everywhere, and I had to give them the slip in 

 order to be able to get off the premises at any time when I did not 

 want them to go with me. When I went for a stroll or to take 

 my dogs out for a run, thev always went along ; the distance I 

 went made no difference They would fly after the dogs, who 

 knew them and would not molest them ; return, alight on my hat 

 or shoulder, take another flight, and so on ; they as thorougly 

 enjoyed a tramp through the woods and fields with me as my dogs 

 did I never tried to see how far they would follow, but my ram- 

 bles would often be a round of several miles. 



When wild crows would see them when we were on our 

 rambles, they would sometimes come to them, but my pets did not 

 care for their company, and, when the wild birds saw the tame one:: 

 alighting on my hat and frolicking with the dogs, they would fly 

 off". I suppose they were wondering at such uncrowlike behavior 

 on the part of crows. My crows became very friendly with the 

 dogs, would feed with them and steal tid-bits out of their supper- 

 pan, and, when I would play with my dogs by throwing a ball for 

 them to fetch, the crows would fly towards the thrown ball, as the 

 dogs would run, and return to me, as all the dogs would do when 

 one of them had picked up and retrieved the ball. They seemed 

 to enjoy the fun as much as the dogs did. When I was not about 

 the premises, they spent much of their time by the kennel yard in 

 the dogs' company. 



These two birds were sleek, handsome fellows, and were very 

 much attached to me, although they always were quite reserved 

 with strangers, whom they never allowed to take any liberties with 

 them, or even touch them, while I could caress them and pet them 

 any way I liked. They would go to sleep resting on my knee, when 

 I would be sitting in the garden, and never appeared to be so 

 happy as when with me. While they were both beautiful birds, so 

 glossy black and healthy as wild birds, still I could notice a slight 

 difference ; one was just a little more perfect bird, a little more 

 beautiful specimen than the other, and, had not one died some 



