1 6 Notes on Bird- Life. [Sess, 



the shallows iintil, a sudden thought striking them, away they 

 flew to some other pool. 



Here, too, at night owls were plentiful, and it was rather 

 eerie to feel them flying past in the gloaming without seeing 

 them. One missed such old friends as the bullfinch and 

 siskin; but bird-fanciers seem to have almost exterminated 

 these once very plentiful favourites. Some of you may have 

 noticed a letter in the ' Scotsman ' a month or so ago regarding a 

 crow which came regularly to a gentleman's house for food. One 

 day, while in the village of Muckhart, and standing at a shop- 

 door speaking to the owner — a very old man — we were rather 

 mystified by his calling out to the inmates, " There's the craw ! " 

 On looking across the road, we saw sitting on the dyke, and 

 eyeing us curiously, a very patriarch of the crow species ; and 

 when my old friend, who, in answer to his summons, had been 

 supplied with bread - crusts, threw a piece on the road, the 

 veteran hopped down and leisurely consumed it. We learned 

 that she came daily for her meals for years, and when the 

 supply at any time exceeded the demand, the crow carefully 

 collected all scraps and buried them at the bottom of the dyke 

 for future consumpt. I was also informed that before the 

 sacramental raid on the young crows, our friend put in an 

 appearance with her family, and to the number of half a dozen 

 would sit in a row on the dyke waiting to be fed. This 

 coincides exactly with the facts narrated in the case I refer to, 

 and proves, I think, that crows will be crows. 



A point on which a good deal of curiosity is always expressed 

 is as to the powers of the corn-crake as a ventriloquist, and how 

 it is that it is so difticult to make this bird take wing, even with 

 the assistance of a dog. I could ere now have supplied the 

 needed information, as I have heard the matter solemnly dis- 

 cussed on many occasions at our meetings, and indeed have 

 often been tempted to do so ; but there was a reason for my 

 silence, which, being in a confidential mood to-night, I will now 

 explain. Know then, when you get a little accustomed to the 

 sound, that you can pick out the exact spot in the field where 

 the bird is ; and if you have sharp eyes you will see, after every 

 " craik," his head appearing to make sure that you are still where 

 you ought to be. Should you make the least movement, down 

 goes our friend's head, and no greyhound could cover the distance 



