bird. Whtit is more, they bear many illustriou« 

 signatures, and they are, one and al). written as the 

 resiUt of much reflection, and not, as is the case with 

 most of the Indian servant's chits, scribbled on the 

 platform as the train is coming into the station, or 

 composed by a worn-out individual squatting on a 

 packing case in a bungalow rendered a Tower of 

 Babel by a number of coolies doing a little furniture 

 removing. iVnother reason why the chits of the crow 

 contain real opinions is that the bird is without the 

 pale of the Indian Penal Code. He is doll incapax 

 This means that he may steal your property and you 

 cannot prosecute him. But, on the other hand, you 

 may abuse him to your heart's content and he can- 

 not bring a defamation case against you. Nay more, 

 you may shoot him without fear of a police-oliicer 

 appearing on the premises next day. If you kill a 

 crow the worst that can happen is that all the rest of 

 the corvidae of the neighbourhood will come and 

 abuse you, and possibly one or two superstitious 

 servants may desert during the night. 



Some of the crow's testimonials date from very 

 early times. Thus the sage Pratyasataka said, far 

 back in the dim vista of time, '' nothing can improve 



