if) 



THE NORTHWEST CROW. 



Speakinsj of their aquatic tendencies, ^[r. A. B. Reagan, of La Push, 

 assures me tliat he has repeatedly seen tliem catch smelt in the ocean near 

 shore. These fish become inv(!h'ed in tlie breakers and may be snatched from 

 ;il)n\-e bv the dextrous bird witlmut any severe wetting. 



Crnws are still the most familiar feature of Indian village life. The 

 Indian, perhaps, nO' longer cherishes any superstition regarding liim, l>ut 

 he is reluctant to l>anish such a familiar e\'il. The Ouillayutes call the bird 

 J\ali-iili-\d : and it is safe to sav that fifty pairs nf these Fish Crows nest 

 within half a mile of the village of La Push. They nest, indifferently, in 

 the saplings of the coastal thickets, or against the trunks of the larger spruces, 

 and take little i)ains to escape ol:)servation. The birds are, howe\'er, becom- 

 ing cjuite shy of a gun. Seeing a half dozen of them seated in the tip of a tall 

 spruce in tlie open woods, I raised my fowling jiiece tii \iew, whereu|)on 



Token on H'aldroit Id. 



THE CKOVV'S FARE. 



Photo by the AutJior. 



all fiew with frantic cries. Indeed it required considerable mananu'ering 

 and an ambuscade tO' secure the single specimen needed. 



.Vt Xeah \\:\\ the Fish Crows patrol the beach incessantly and allow 

 \-ery little of the halibut fishers' largess to float off on the tide. And the 

 Okc-t( c )npc, as the Makahs call the birds, have little fear of the Indians, 

 altho they are yery suspicious of a strange white man. I once saw a pretty 

 sight on this beach : a three year old Indian girl chasing the Crows about 

 in childish glee. The birds enjoyed the frolic as much as she, and fell in 



