106 RAMBLES OF 



gander was not there too; and as soon as he was 

 answered in the affirmative, he bid me be under no 

 uneasiness, as the crow would find his match. No- 

 thing could exceed the cool impudence and pertina- 

 city of the crow, who, perfectly regardless of my 

 shouting, continued to worry the poor gander for an 

 hour, by his efforts to obtain a nice gosling for his 

 next meal. At length, convinced of the fruitless- 

 ness of his efforts, he flew off to seek some more 

 easily procurable food. Several crows sometimes 

 unite to plunder the goose of her young, and are 

 then generally successful, because they are able to 

 distract the attention of the parents, and lure them 

 farther from their young. 



In the summer the crows disperse in pairs, for the 

 purpose of raising their young, and then they select 

 lofty trees in the remotest parts of the forest, upon 

 which, with dry sticks and twigs, they build a large 

 strong nest, and line it with softer materials. They 

 lay four or five eggs, and, when they are hatched, 

 feed, attend, and watch over their young with the 

 most zealous devotion. Should any one by chance 

 pass near the nest while the eggs are still unhatched, 

 or the brood are very young, the parents keep close, 

 and neither by the slightest movement nor noise 

 betray their presence. But if the young are fledged, 

 and beginning to take their first lessons in flying, the 

 approach of a man, especially if armed with a gun, 

 calls forth all their cunning and solicitude. The 

 young are immediately, placed in the securest place 

 at hand, where the foliage is thickest, and remain 



