178 NATURE-STUDY REVIEW [15:5— May, 1919 



Jim's latest accomplishment is a high pitched almost musical 

 "Hoo-oo-Hoo-oo' ' such as little school girls use to each other. This 

 is his usual call when he is welcoming us after an absence. But he 

 is not always so agreeable. At times he is very moody and one has 

 no way of knowing before hand how his advances will be received. 

 I feel quite rebuffed when I go out with a tempting bit of meat or 

 sour milk and to my cheerful hello get a curt rough "lope." Again 

 he may be so glad to see us that he will bow low, bill to the ground, 

 and wings and tail quivering. This expresses his acme of joy. 

 Jimmie never shows the same pleasure to others that he does to his 

 master and mistress and to strangers he is not even civil. 



Since we lost our dog he has spent most of the time at home and 

 indeed he is a far better protector of the premises than the dog ever 

 was. Be it man or animal that dares to set foot on his precincts he 

 caws his wildest and flies at the intruder. If only he could be 

 depended on at night as well as in the day I would live in darkest 

 Africa with him for he will not even tolerate a black dress or a 

 muff on the clothes line, to say nothing of the people wearing such. 



Next to dogs, he hates newsboys with a lasting and virulent 

 animosity. Perhaps he hates all small boys for the drooping wing 

 he received at the hands of one. At any rate he will not permit one 

 to approach without an irate volley of abuse accompanied by flying 

 at the intruder's head and pecking his ankles. Unfortunately the 

 boys fail to see the funny side of their plight and their nervousness 

 is much relished by Jim ; but if after hedging and dodging the boy 

 successfully conveys the paper to the door Jimmie relents some- 

 what and permits him to leave, but not without accompanying him 

 off the premises. Swaying from side to side and dragging his wings 

 he walks stiff legged after the boy jabbing his fast retreating legs. 



Jimmie has now weathered nearly two years of ups and downs, 

 hunting his living, fighting his enemies, learning that life is sweet 

 but perilous. Much of the time he has lived as a wild crow but 

 without the advantage of a wild crow's wariness. Indeed the 

 local game warden was on the point of ending Jim's mischief forever 

 when Jim saved himself by flying down on his shoulder with a lusty 

 "papa." This was not his only narrow escape when by a timely 

 guffaw he has saved himself from a bullet. 



Jimmie's charm lies in the fact that he has his freedom yet 

 clings to man as his best friend. Aside from this human attach- 

 ment he is really a wild bird and offers many opportunities for 



