Birds of Madagascar. 421 



scattered rice. He is a bold and rather impudent bird, and 

 is often seen fighting with the smaller Hawks. One day, 

 walking with a friend near Ambohimanga, we came upon a 

 large flock of Crows, and wishing to obtain a specimen_, my 

 friend fired and shot one of them. For a moment there was 

 a dead silence, but after a few seconds the whole flock set up 

 an angry scream of rage and defiance, and, flying swiftly 

 backwards and forwards, came so close to our faces that I 

 feared they would strike at our eyes. Their anger and indig- 

 nation at the death of their comrade, and their wish to 

 avenge him, were unmistakably manifested in their beha- 

 viour. This Crow is occasionally kept by the Malagasy as a 

 pet bird, and is sometimes taught to keep the fowls away 

 from the paddy-rice which is placed on mats to dry in the 

 sun. Mr. Cory says : " The nest of the Crow is placed on 

 trees or rocks, and is defended fiercely from all enemies. 

 The eggs are exactly similar in markings to those of the 

 English Carrion Crow, but are rather rounder in form.^^ 



As might be expected, the Goaika is referred to in many 

 Malagasy proverbs, two or three of which may be here 

 quoted and translated, thus : " Like the Crowds coat — finished 

 while it is young/' ^^ Don't be lustrous outside (only), like 

 a Crow ;" " Many are the Crows, and one can't tell which is 

 male and which female, for all have white necks; but who- 

 ever eats the arum {Saonju), him. will I punish ; " "^ " Do like 

 the soldiers : get up before the Crows, awake before the 

 Warblers " {Fitatra) . The ])ird is also alluded to in a native 

 song, in the verses of which the Kite, the Brown Stork, the 

 Lark, and the Cardinal-bird are successively mentioned ; and 

 the last verse runs as follows : " ' Where are you from, old- 

 fellow, you Crow there ? ' ^ I come from Antananarivo.' 

 ' How about the proclamation there?' said I. 'The pro- 

 clamation,' said he, ' is severe enough.' ' What was it 

 all about ? ' said I. ' Thieves/ said he, ' are to be killed.' " 



The next family of the Perching Birds, that of the Swallow- 

 Shrikes, contains in Madagascar six species, all of which are 



* Several otlier proverbs also refer to the Crow's white neck and its 

 eating the edible arum or Saonjo. 



