238 BIRDS OF THE PLAINS 



Later on he introduced his wife. She took possession 

 of one window and he of the other; so that the poor 

 house-crows no longer had " a look in," Some of the 

 bolder spirits among them used certainly to settle on 

 the shutters in hopes of catching a stray crumb, but 

 none durst venture on to the ledge while a black crow 

 was there. 



Upon one occasion I put a whole milk pudding upon 

 the ledge ; the corbies would not allow the house-crows 

 so much as a peck at the dainty dish until they them- 

 selves had had their fill. 



Every one knows that the grey-necked crows, when 

 harassing a creature more powerful than themselves, 

 work in concert. It is my belief that two of these 

 birds acting together are more than a match for any 

 other creature. The way in which a pair of them will, 

 by alternate feint and attack, take food away from a 

 great kite or a dog is truly admirable. But so great is 

 the respect of the grey-necked crows for the corby that 

 I have never seen them attack him in this way. This 

 says volumes for the force of character of Corvus 

 macrorhynchus. He is quite an Oliver Cromwell among 

 birds. He is a dour, austere, masterful, selfish bird — 

 a bird which it is impossible to like or to despise. 



When he has once made up his mind to do anything 

 there is no deterring him from the accomplishment 

 thereof. Early in the year one of these birds spent at 

 least the greater part of a day in trying to secure for 

 its nest one of the twigs in a little circular fence erected 

 for the protection of a young tree. The fence in ques- 

 tion was composed of leafless branches, interlaced and 



