igo The Ottawa Naturalist. [November 



vocal chords are capable of producing-, he can be highly entertain- 

 ing, especially — but in justice be it said that he is not often g-uilty 

 of such weakness — when his mood leads him to believe he is 

 endowed with the gift of song. 



It would be superfluous to offer anyone, be his or her know- 

 ledge of avian talents and attainments ever so slight, the informa- 

 tion that the crow does not rank with the song birds. It may not 

 be so well known, however, that this fact is not always recognised 

 by this otherwise up-to-date bird himself; but the rang-e of tones 

 presented in the gutteral chucklings, the tuneless liltings in a 

 falsetto voice — suggestive though they always are, ot a mind free 

 from care — besides the yells already described, and other sounds 

 indescribable, which go to make up the recitals of my would-be 

 songster — have at least the merit of being something out of the 

 beaten path of bird minstrelsy. The public is cordially invited to 

 be present at these performances, which generally take place in 

 the midst of a group of stout everg-reens in the garden, the prin- 

 cipal performer not being, to all appearances, troubled by any 

 doubts of^ his popularity as an entertainer. It disturbs his 

 equanimity not the slightest to know that his methods are re- 

 garded with the strongest disapproval by the regu'larly qualified 

 songsters around him, who, he cannot but be aware, never fail to 

 take themselves out of hearing when he starts his overture — 

 usually a series of terrific yells. He continues with unruffled 

 serenity, until suddenly losing interest in this means of passing 

 the time pleasantly, he drops from his tree and appears before the 

 presiding genius of the kitchen with a demand for refreshments. 



Such are some of the distinguishing characteristics and daily 

 occupations of my feathered jester, Jim Crow. 



The Soiree Committee met last week and prepared a tenta- 

 tive programme which will be completed this week. It was 

 decided to hold the first soiree on Nov. 28th. A teature of this 

 season's programme will be the unusually large number of illus- 

 trated lectures. 



