CROW. 



545 



stately pace : his favourite haunts are the \ r ast soli- 

 tudes of rocks and forests, from which he seldom 

 emerges except called by hunger, and then never in 

 large flocks, like the crows. The ordinary food of' 

 the raven, and that which he prefers, is putrefying 

 animal matter, which this bird discovers, by the 

 acuteness of his sense of smelling, at great distances, 

 and flies to the feast with unerring precision. When 

 carrion is not attainable, the raven feeds on vari- 

 ous fruits, insects, dead fish, &c. Judging by the 

 habits of the crow and other kindred species, there 

 is no question but the raven, when pressed by hunger, 

 will kill small birds or other animals coming within 

 its reach. They have been known to pluck the eyes 

 out of the heads of lambs and sick animals unable to 

 drive them away. Birds so voracious and destruc- 

 tive cannot be regarded otherwise than injurious in 

 a poor country, though in a rich one, their services, 

 as scavengers and destroyers of the larves of noxious 

 insects, might more than counterbalance their mis- 

 chief.* Like most of their tribe, ravens have a con- 

 siderable talent for imitating sounds, and may be 

 taught to pronounce words with remarkable distinct- 

 ness. When domesticated, they become very bold 

 and impudent, fearless of dogs or cats, and fighting 

 fiercely with them when provoked: sometimes, in- 

 deed, their insolence renders them dangerous inmates, 

 as they will wound children, and even grown up per- 

 sons, with their powerful bill. They also participate 

 in the disposition common to most of their fraternity, 

 to steal and hide pieces of money, plate, and other 

 shining objects, which cannot be of the slightest use 

 to the purloiner. The raven is a model of conjugal 

 fidelity, having but one female, to whom he remains 

 attached, most probably, for life. Observations were 

 made on one pair by lord Ross, during thirty years, 

 and there can be but little doubt, that the union was 

 only interrupted by death. Their nests are commonly 

 placed in chinks of rocks, lofty old walls, or the tops 

 of tall, insulated trees, and are made externally of 

 roots and branches of shrubs : a second layer is then 

 formed of animal bones, or other hard materials, and 

 this is covered with a bed of soft grass or moss. 

 About the month of March, the female lays five or 

 six pale-green and bluish eggs, speckled with very 

 numerous spots and touches of a darker colour. The 

 incubation continues for twenty days, and both pa- 

 rents participate hi it. The male also defends the nest 

 courageously against the approach of hawks and 

 other birds of prey, and provides for the subsistence 

 of his companion. The young remain with the pa- 

 rents throughout the summer succeeding their hatch- 

 ing, and, when able to provide for themselves, are 

 sent off to establish new colonies elsewhere. The 

 flight of the raven is very lofty, and its power of 

 wing great, so that it is able to pass over immense 

 spaces in a short time. 



Few birds are more numerous and annoying to the 

 farmers of America than the common crow (C. corone) , 

 which, throughout a considerable part of the year, col- 

 lects in astonishingly large flocks, and makes destruc- 

 tive descents upon newly planted maize and other 

 grain. In this species, it seems as if all the evil pro- 

 pensities of the race were united and augmented. Ex- 

 ceedingly cunning in detecting every contrivance in- 

 tended for their destruction, they are rarely destroyed 

 to any great extent, except hi seasons of excessive and 

 long protracted cold weather. Then (as during the 

 winter of 1828 9) vast numbers perish from starva- 

 tion, since the earth, brooks, rivers, and bays, being 

 completely locked up, all their sources of supply are 



In England, the rook (C. frugilegusj is not allowed to 

 be killed, and a large rookery is considered a valuable ap- 

 pendage to an estate. The young are obtained from tbe 

 eat, mod considered very fine for tbe table. 

 U. 



cutoff. At such times, their hunger iii so distressing as 

 to force them to the most extraordinary exertions, and 

 they devour substances, which nothing but excessive 

 hunger could induce any animal to swallow. During 

 the hard winter alluded to, immense flocks were ob- 

 served passing from the direction of the famous roost- 

 ing place in the vicinity of Bristol, Pa. (particularly 

 noted by Wilson), towards the shores of the sea and 

 bay, and returning regularly hi the afternoon. Thou- 

 sands upon thousands, for several hours, moved heavi- 

 ly along in a broad, irregular line ; and, from the 

 numbers found dead in the fields, it is most probable 

 that, during the severest weather, but little benefit 

 resulted from their long diurnal pilgrimage. 



The common crow is voracious at all times, and 

 nearly, if not quite, as omnivorous as the brown rat. 

 Gram of all sorts, but especially Indian corn, insects, 

 carrion, eggs, fish, young birds, the young of various 

 domestic fowls, and even young pigs, are sought for 

 eagerly, and devoured with avidity. This species, 

 from the peculiar excellence of its sight, smell, and 

 hearing, by which it is very early warned of approach- 

 ing danger, is very audacious, frequently coming 

 close to the farm-houses hi search of prey, and per- 

 severing hi efforts to rob the hens of their chickens, 

 until successful. The writer has witnessed several 

 times, hi the state of Maryland, America, where 

 crows are far too abundant, the pertinacity of one of 

 these robbers hi attempting to seize a young chicken, 

 notwithstanding the fierce defence made by the hen. 

 His approaches appeared to have hi view the with- 

 drawal of the hen to a little distance from the brood ; 

 then, taking advantage of his wings, he would fly 

 suddenly over her, and seize the chick. The same 

 attempts were frequently made upon the goose, with 

 a view to seize her goslins, but the vigilant gander, 

 though sorely fatigued by his struggles, never failed 

 to defeat a single crow : it was otherwise, however, 

 when two or more were united for the purpose of 

 feasting on the young. It is not an uncommon thing 

 for farmers to be under the necessity of replant- 

 ing corn several tunes hi the spring, and, when it is 

 just rising above the ground, to be obb'ged to keep 

 several persons continually on guard hi the fields. 

 When the corn has shot up an inch or two above the 

 surface, a host of these black-coated plunderers in- 

 vade the fields, and, having posted sentinels hi seve- 

 ral commanding situations, march regularly along the 

 corn-rows, drawing up the grain, pulling skilfully by 

 the shoot, and then swallowing the germinating corn. 



Among the most successful experiments made to 

 prevent the crows from doing this mischief is that of 

 coating the seed corn with a mixture of tar, oil, and 

 a small quantity of slacked lime, hi powder. The 

 ingredients being mixed hi a tub, the seed corn is 

 stirred hi it until each grain receives a thorough coat- 

 ing of the mixture. This preparation, as it necessarily 

 keeps the grain from being readily affected by mois- 

 ture, is found to retard the germination about thra 

 days. In the instance we witnessed of the trial of thi 

 preventive, it was fully successful ; for, although the 

 field was daily visited by hosts of crows, they were 

 content with pulling up enough of corn, hi various 

 places, to be satisfied that it was, throughout, equally 

 unpalatable. 



During their breeding season, which is hi the 

 spring months, the flocks spread over a great extent 

 of country, and build their nests of small sticks, lined 

 with grass, hi lofty trees, choosing the most remote 

 and difficult of approach. The young, generally, are 

 two hi number, and, until fully fledged, are most soli- 

 citously protected by their parents. When the young 

 crows first begin to receive lessons hi flying, nothing 

 is more remarkable and affecting than the efforts made 

 to preserve them, by the parents, when a sportsman 



