11 



too clever to perch on the basket, for, had he done so, 

 he would have betrayed his presence; he quietly flew 

 along at the won] an 's own pace and served him sell 

 until he had eaten all he required. If there were 

 butcher's and fish-monger's boys in India these would 

 have to give up their practice of carrying meat and fish 

 in trays on the head, for provisions carried in this way 

 would never arrive at their destination in this country. 

 A collection of crows is invariably to be seen outside 

 the saliib's kitchen at the usual time when the cook, 

 regardless of the principles of sanitation, casts forth 

 into the compound the remains of the last meal. 



Crows impudently invade the bungalow and steal 

 whatever they can seize with their great beaks. 

 They appear to have a use for everything portable- 

 spoons, postage stamps and babies' socks seem to have 

 a special attraction for the birds. 



Having heard wonderful stories of the depredations 

 of the crows in the General Hospital at Madras, I 

 wrote to Captain D. C. Kemp, one of the Kesident 

 Surgeons, in order to obtain authentic information. 

 I received the following letter in reply :— 



"The crows have been such a nuisance in this 

 hospital that we have had to have wire covers (like 



