148 BIRDS OF THE PLAINS 



engaged in the attack. Moreover, the kite was not 

 visible and the crows had grown bokler, for whereas 

 previously they had abused the kite from a safe dis- 

 tance, some of them were now quite close to the nest. 

 Being pressed for time, I was not able to stay and await 

 developments. In the afternoon when I again passed 

 the nest I saw no kite, but the tree was alive with crows, 

 and part of the nest appeared to have been pulled down. 

 The nestlings had probably been destroyed. Of this I 

 was not able to make certain, for I was on my way to 

 fulfil a social engagement. I was, I admit, sorely tempted 

 to " cut " this, and nothing but the want of a good 

 excuse prevented my doing so. " Dear Mrs. Burra 

 Mem, I much regret that I was prevented from coming to 

 your tennis party this afternoon by a domestic bereave- 

 ment — of a kite," seemed rather unconvincing, so I went 

 to the lawn-tennis party. 



When I saw the nest the following morning it was a 

 total wreck. There were still one or two crows hanging 

 around, and while I was inspecting the ground beneath 

 the scene of the tragedy they amused themselves by 

 dropping sticks on my head. The crow is an ill- 

 conditioned bird. I found, lying about on the ground, 

 the debris of the nest, a number of kite's feathers, in- 

 cluding six or seven of the large tail ones, and two 

 crow's wings. These last furnished the clue to the be- 

 haviour of the crows. The kite must have attacked 

 and killed a sickly crow, in order to provide breakfast 

 for her young. This was, of course, an outrage on 

 corvine society — an outrage which demanded speedy 

 vengeance. Hence the gathering of the clans which I 



