AMERICAN ORNITHOLOGY. 31 



(Brow ^rait^. ^ 



Although our American Crow is black in color and by reputation, he 

 will afford the bird lover many pleasant hours studying his traits and 

 habits before he can feel that he is acquainted with Crow life. It seems 

 as if the CroNV was possessed of much the same kind of shrewdness 

 and longing for mischief as the dirty, ragged urchin who makes his 

 headquarters on some street corner. The most prominent character- 

 istic of the Crow is his curiosity. Let a person do any work in woods 

 or field and almost as soon as his back is turned, from one to a half- 

 dozen crows will appear to inspect his work. 



But for all of his inordinate curiosity the Crow's natural wariness 

 usually keeps him from harm. First he will take a flight high in air 

 over the suspicious place, if all appears safe he will take a flight near 

 the ground and then alight in some open spot and inspect the 

 surroundings. If, perchance a good shot brings one to an untimely 

 end what precautions are then taken; if two or three are searching for 

 food there is sure to be a sentinel post on the summit of some tall tree, 

 dead stub or failing these, the tallest stake or fence post available, 

 and any unual movement will send the whole flock into the air with 

 loud caws. Generally if there are any large trees overlooking their 

 late feeding ground and at a safe distance from it, they will take 

 refuge in these and exchange audible remarks about the prospects, 

 present and future. 



By most farmers the Crow is condemned as a bird possessed of little 

 good and almost unlimited powers of evil; often when the farmer's 

 crops are coming up the Crows will proceed to render assistance by 

 catching the visible part in their bills and carefully pulling the whole 

 affair, stem, root and all, out of the ground. It is very rare that they 

 make any use of these plants thus pulled up, dropping each in its turn 

 and proceeding to the next. It is amusing to watch two or three Crows 

 when at work; for several minutes they will w^ork as lively as possible 

 then one will raise his head and utter a kind of questioning ra7e' as 

 much as to say, "Have you fellows found anything," then he will fly a 

 few rods and the work of inspection will go on as rapidly as before. 



