CROW. 211 



young. Like the Ravens, endued with an unrestrained 

 and natural affection, they continue the whole succeed- 

 ing summer to succour and accompany their offspring in 

 all their undertakinors and excursions. 



The Crow is equally omnivorous with the Raven ; in- 

 sects, worms, carrion, fish, grain, fruits, and in short 

 every thing digestible by any or all the birds in existence, 

 being alike acceptable to this gormandizing animal. 

 His destruction of bird-eggs is also very considerable. 

 In Europe they are often detected feeding their voracious 

 young with the precious eggs of the Partridge, which they 

 very sagaciously convey by carefully piercing and sticking 

 them expertly on the bill. They also know how to 

 break nuts and shell-fish by dropping them from a great 

 height upon the rocks below.* They visit even the snares, 

 and devour the birds which they find caught, attacking 

 the weak and wounded game. They also sometimes seize 

 on young chickens and ducks, and have even been observ- 

 ed to pounce upon pigeons, in the manner of hawks, and 

 with almost equal success. So familiar and audacious are 

 they in some parts of the Levant, that they will frequent 

 the courts of houses, and like harpies alight boldly on the 

 dishes, as the servants are conveying in the dinner, and 

 carry off the meat, if not driven away by blows. In turn 

 however the Crow finds enemies too powerful for him to 

 conquer, such as the Kite and Eagle Owl, who occasion- 

 ally make a meal of this carrion bird, a voracious pro- 

 pensity which the Virginian Owl also sometimes exhibits 

 towards the same species. Wherever the Crow appears, 

 the smaller birds take the alarm, and vent upon him their 

 just suspicions and reproaches. But it is only the re- 



* It is related of a certain ancient philosopher, walking along the sea-shore to 

 gather shells, that one of these unlucky birds, mistaking his bald head for a stone, 

 dropped a shell-fish upon it, and thus killed at once a philosopher and an oyster. 



