39 



I might almost say " too particular, '^ for they seem 

 unable to draw the line between this desirable charac- 

 teristic and vanity. Narrow and low is the partition 

 between virtue and vice. There is, moreover, no 

 denying the fact that the crow oversteps the divid- 

 ing line. He is a vain bird. The natives express 

 this by saying " the crow stuck a pomegranate flower 

 in his tail and thought himself a mighty swell." I 

 have frequently seen the " treble-dated bird " literally 

 gurgling with delight as he contemplated his reflec- 

 tion in the looking glass at the back of my sideboard. 



Crows are so anxious that their tribe should make 

 a good show that they set upon and slay all diseased 

 members of their society. But they appear to be 

 able to distinguish between natural and abnormal dis- 

 figurement. One often sees 

 mangey-looking crows, in- 

 nocent of a single feather on 

 the neck, birds which might 

 at first sight be mistaken fo 



^B 



r 



young vultures ; but these are 

 not molested. The baldness 

 is, I believe, only temporary. 



