THE CROW 



fact that the potato was growing in a wild 



state " away back in the woods." d)e 



I believe that crows destroy fully one-half 

 the quail and grouse on Cape Ann. A woods 

 fire south of my cabin burned the nest of a 

 ruffed grouse late in the season. The grouse 

 made a new nest north of my cabin, and one 

 day I found four eggs in it. The next morn- 

 ing I heard a strange cry in the direction of 

 the nest, and started to investigate. I took 

 to the path at the rear of my cabin, and when 

 I had reached the top of the hill I saw the 

 grouse running toward me. She held one 

 wing close to her side, but with the other she 

 was striking savagely at two crows that hazed 

 her as they flew above and around her. Just 

 as I came in sight of the trio, the grouse 

 dropped an egg from under the closed wing, 

 and one of the crows seized it and flew so 

 near me that I could see the egg in his bill. 

 The thing that impressed me most was the 

 silence of the crows. Not a sound did they 

 utter. The scamps knew that I was near by, 

 and would be warned of crow mischief if I 

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