io8 BIRD BIOGRAPHIES 



out. One bird fell with a loud thud to 

 the ground, it rolled about there for a 

 moment or two, and was still. The 

 other bird, untouched by the shot, went 

 up in large circles and called loudly and 

 piteously, but no answer came from the 

 ground. The farmer picked up the bird 

 and carried it to the centre of a large 

 field, and placing a tall stick in the 

 ground, he tied the Crow to this and 

 left it there dangling about in the wind 

 as a " scarecrow." 



A day or two after this I saw the 

 remaining Crow sitting on top of a tree 

 on the edge of the field in which his 

 dead mate was. There he sat with all 

 his feathers ruffled and his head drawn 

 in, and at long intervals he uttered a 

 mournful note. For days the poor bird 

 sat there ; you did not see him quartering 

 the ground for food. I do not think he 

 thought about eating. All he wanted 

 was his mate ; he kept on calling her, but 



