The Birds' Calendar 



a simple and suggestive scene in the gloam- 

 ing, familiar to every one who has lived in the 

 country. I know that crows are held in gen- 

 eral derision, that their hearts are supposed to 

 be of the same hue as their plumage, and only 

 to be frowned upon from both a moral and 

 aesthetic point of view. But I beg leave to in- 

 sert a line of protest in their favor, and candidly 

 confess that it is to me a peculiarly pleasurable 

 sight to see them coursing in their strong and 

 dignified flight over the landscape ; and when 

 an interval of a quarter of a mile has filtered 

 out the most rasping quality of the voice, the 

 barbaric clamor of half a dozen gossipy crows 

 affords an unwonted delight. There is a wild- 

 ness in the sound that stirs the blood ; it has a 

 pungent, salty flavor that the ear craves. Too 

 much refinement takes away the vigor and pith 

 of a distant object, be it audible or visible, and 

 there is more of the sturdy country life in the 

 crow than in a dozen songsters. The slow and 

 measured step with which they walk is called 

 by Audubon ' ' elevated and graceful ; ' ' and as 

 he is so illustrious and dead, I will not presume 

 to question the truth of the statement. They 

 are very gregarious throughout the year, and 

 omnivorous rather than fastidious in their diet, 



