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ONE of the pair of crows that nest in my woodlot has 

 been flying over all winter long with a gap in his right 

 wing. Three at least of the large wing feathers are 

 missing, and the result is a perceptible limp. The bird 

 moves through the air with the list of a boat that has 

 shifted or lost its ballast. Were he set upon in the 

 air by a hawk, as might happen if he were smaller, 

 the race would be short. He is plainly disabled 

 by the loss of these three feathers, and has been 

 for months. Just how and when the loss occurred 

 I don't know. It is likely, however, that the feath- 

 ers were shot away in June, in corn-stealing 

 time. Now for nearly a year he has been hobbling 

 about on one whole and one half wing, trusting to 

 luck to escape his enemies, until he can get three 



