120 RAMBLES OP 



sently sail off, scattering as they go. However, we rare- 

 ly waited till there was a danger of their departure, but 

 as soon as the flock had fairly arrived and were still 

 crowded upon the upper parts of the tree, we pulled 

 triggers together, aiming at the thickest of the throng. 

 In this way, by killing and wounding them, with two or 

 three guns, a dozen or more would be destroyed. It 

 was of course needless to expect to find a similar oppor- 

 tunity in the same place for a long time afterwards, as 

 those which escaped had too good memories to return to 

 so disastrous a spot. By ascertaining other situations at 

 considerable distances, we could every now and then 

 obtain similar advantages over them. 



About the years 1800, 1, 2, 3, 4, the crows were so 

 vastly accumulated and destructive in the state of Mary- 

 land, that the government, to hasten their diminution, 

 received their heads in payment of taxes, at the price of 

 three cents each. The store-keepers bought them of the 

 boys and shooters, who had no taxes to pay, at a rather 

 lower rate, or exchanged powder and shot for them. This 

 measure caused a great havoc to be kept up among them, 

 and in a few years so .much diminished the grievance, 

 that the price was withdrawn. Two modes of shooting 

 them in considerable numbers were followed and with 

 great success ; the one, that of killing them while on 

 the wing towards the roost, and the other attacking 

 them in the night when they had been for some hours 

 asleep. I have already mentioned the regularity with 



