Crows 265 
in everything, and never lost an opportunity for 
playing tricks upon the cat or the dog. The dog, which 
was old and spent most of the time in lying about in 
comfortable places fast asleep, had in his young days 
the misfortune of losing about two-thirds of his tail, 
leaving at the end a conspicuous bald spot. ‘The 
rogue of a crow never missed the opportunity of 
giving this spot a vigorous peck whenever he found 
the old dog enjoying solid comfort. 
Jim spent a great deal of his time in the hayfeld, 
and as he would eat grasshoppers until he could 
scarcely fly, he began to gain favor with the family, 
which was very gratifying to his young master. Dur- 
ing August, however, he sometimes visited the fields 
where the wild crows were feeding, and soon new 
traits of character began to develop. One day he 
came home with a small blue egg shell and put it 
with his curios in the woodhouse where he had passed 
his early days. These curios were rather a motley 
collection—pieces of glass and broken dishes, a few 
large buttons, and an old pair of eyeglasses. 
As time went on Jim became a well developed 
specimen of the crow family. One Sunday morning 
after the farmer had done his usual tasks, shaved, 
taken the weekly paper, and seated himself in an 
easy chair, he reached for his spectacles, which always 
