CROWS 43 



places. All, therefore, that is necessary in order to 

 prevent the increase of the population, or to diminish 

 or ultimately abolish it, is to check the annual 

 increments of young birds. Even crows, clever and 

 cunning though they be, are subject to accidents, 

 and, apart from these, must eventually die of old 

 age ; so that any strictly localised community of them 

 will gradually diminish and ultimately die out if not 

 recruited. All, then, that is necessary to convert 

 any garden from a pandemonium to a haunt of peace, 

 is the exercise of a certain amount of patience, and 

 the steady destruction of all nests for a term of years. 

 The work of destruction involves a good deal of toil, 

 more especially where many trees have to be dealt 

 with, as the old birds are most persevering in their 

 desires for a family, and go on building nest after 

 nest to make good those that have been done away 

 with. But the labour is amply repaid by the result- 

 ing quiet, and after a few years a very little attention 

 is enough to keep this up permanently. My last 

 garden in Calcutta was, when I acquired control of 

 it, in the possession of a great colony of crows ; but, 

 for many years before I left India, very few roosted 

 or attempted to nest there, because I had set my 

 face from the outset steadily against all successful 

 local hatching. 



When a colony of crows has been allowed to 

 establish itself in any urban garden it is difficult to 

 deal efficiently with it in any other way ; municipal 



