CEYLON CROWS IN THE MALAY PENINSULA. 29 



At length it began to appear that, far from becoming habituated 

 to their confinement, their continued captivity was re-acting 

 injuriously upon them, and deaths became alarmingly'frequent, as 

 many as five birds dying in one day. It became necessary to 

 replenish the stock and to hasten their departure. 



Three large cages measuring about 5 feet high by 4 feet square, 

 furnished with bars and feeding trough, were constructed. Each 

 of them was stocked with twenty-four crows. These were 

 despatched to the wharf on the 27th December, two crows dying 

 on the way. 



The cages were shipped on board the Austrian Lloyd ss. 

 Austria with the Museum Taxidermist, Mr. H. F. Fernando, in 

 charge. The vessel sailed on the following day, and reached 

 Penang on the 2nd January, 1903, ten more deaths having occurred 

 on the voyage. 



During the voyage the cages were kept thoroughly cleansed, 

 covered with tarpaulin to protect them from the cold winds, and 

 the crows were fed twice daily with bread, rice, potatoes, raw and 

 cooked beef, entrails of fowls, &c. 



More than fifty crows reached their destination in good condition. 



If there is any lesson to be learnt from the experiences recorded 

 in the preceding lines, it is this, that the crows will survive a 

 certain duration of captivity, but not an unlimited period, and the 

 transportation from one place to another should be carried out 

 without unnecessary delay. 



The news of the arrival of the crows in the Malay Peninsula was 

 greeted with an extraordinary outburst of objurgation on the part 

 of the Straits Press. The undeniable impudence of crows has 

 given them, so it appears, a bad name among the European 

 residents of these parts. Personally, I do not think that the 

 prejudice against them is well founded. It is said that they will 

 steal jewellery, but jewellery disappears in ways other than down 

 the gullets of crows, and one act of rapine is likely to be magnified 

 a hundred-fold by common rumour. 



A. D. Neubronner, Esq., Perak Government Agent, Penang, 

 to the Director, Colombo Museum. 



January 3, 1903. 



Sir, — I HAVE the honour to acknowledge receipt of three cages 



crows, of twenty in each cage, brought by Mr. H. F. Fernando, and 



I am glad to say the birds arrived in very good condition judging 



from their appearance. Mr. Fernando must have doubtless taken 



