Chap. II.] CROWS. 171 



guarded in any apartment accessible to them. The con- 

 tents of ladies' work-boxes, kid gloves, and pocket hand- 

 kerchiefs vanish instantly if exposed near a window or 

 open door. They open paper parcels to ascertain the 

 contents ; they will undo the knot on a napkin if it 

 encloses anything eatable, and I have known a crow to 

 extract the peg which fastened the Hd of a basket in 

 order to plunder the provender within. 



On one occasion a nurse seated in a garden adjoining 

 a regimental mess-room, was terrified by seeing a bloody 

 clasp-knife drop from the air at her feet ; but the mys- 

 tery was explained on learning that a crow, wliich had 

 been watching the cook chopping mince-meat, had seized 

 the moment when his head was tm-ned to carry off the 

 knife. 



One of these ingenious marauders, after vainly atti- 

 tudinising in front of a chained watch-dog, which was 

 lazily gnawing a bone, and after fruitlessly endeavour- 

 ing to divert his attention by dancing before him, mth 

 head a^vry and eye askance, at length flew away for a 

 moment, and returned bringing with it a companion '^vho 

 perched itself on a branch a few yards in the rear. The 

 crow's grimaces were now actively renewed, but with 

 no better result, till its confederate, poising himself on 

 his wings, descended with the utmost velocity, striking 

 the dog upon the spine with all the force of his beak. 

 The ruse was successful ; the dog started with sui-prise 

 and pain, but not quickly enough to seize his assailant, 

 whilst the bone he had been gnawdng disappeared the 

 instant liis head was turned. Two well-authenticated 

 instances of the recurrence of this device came within my 

 knowledge at Colombo, and attest the sagacity and powers 

 of communication and combination possessed by these 

 astute and courageous birds. 



On the approach of evening the crows assemble in noisy 

 groups along the margin of the fresh-water lake which 

 surrounds Colombo on the eastern side ; here for an 

 hour or two they enjoy the luxury of the bath, tossing 



