IV 



CHOWS 



" The Craw put up her sooty heid, 

 Frae the nest whar she lay, 

 And gied a flaff wi' her roosty wings, 

 And cried ' Whar tae, whar tae ! ' 

 ' Tae pike a deid man lying 

 Ahint yon muckle stane.' " 



Border Ballad. 



" As I was walking all my lane 

 I heard twa corbies makin' a mane, 

 The tain until the tither say, 

 ' Whar'll we gang and dine the day.' " 



Border Ballad. 



REMINISCENCES of the common Indian 1 crow are 

 concerned with experiences which ranged from rage 

 and disgust to the keenest admiration and amuse- 

 ment. There surely never was such an impishly 

 clever bird. The common English magpie may 

 run him close, but it is only when domesticated 

 that he can be regarded as a serious competitor, 

 and, even then, the devil by which he is possessed 

 is hardly so inventive and constantly on the alert 



1 Corvus splendens is considerably larger than a jackdaw, but smaller 

 than a rook. 



36 



