THE CROW'S WING 



the wings and neck there is a purplish gloss 

 which is very noticeable, especially on the 

 younger birds. His eyes are brown, very 

 bright, and more than usually intelligent. 

 From the tip of his strong bill to the end of 

 his tail a full-grown crow will measure close 

 to nineteen inches in length. His wings are 

 broad and strong, and are remarkable for 

 their power of sustained and unflagging 

 flight. Crows build their nests in the timber, 

 rough-lined and coarse ones of sticks, and 

 the she-bird lays from three to six eggs. 

 These nests are in the tall trees as a rule, and 

 sometimes many of them are close together. 

 Carrion, crawfish, frogs, apples, corn, meat 

 almost anything he can get his thievish 

 claws on he will devour. And if necessary, 

 he will go hunting in the pastures for bugs, 

 worms, insects, field-mice, or even young rab- 

 bits. All he asks is an opportunity to forage. 

 There is no craven cowardice in his defiant 

 " caw, caw," and if winged by the hunter's 

 fire he will turn his shining dark eyes coura- 

 geously toward his arch-enemy man and 

 fight with wing, beak, and claw to the very 

 last. 



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