EYE-BEAMS 121 



The wild creatures are human — with a dif- 

 ference, a wide difference. They have the 

 keenest powers of perception; what observers 

 they are! how quickly they take a hint! but 

 they have little or no powers of reflection. 

 The crows do not meet in parliaments and cau- 

 cuses, as has been fancied, and try offenders, 

 and discuss the tariff, or consider ways and 

 means. They are gregarious and social, and 

 probably in the fall have something like a reun- 

 ion of the tribe. At least their vast assem- 

 blages upon the hills at this season have a 

 decidedly festive appearance. 



The crow has fine manners. He always has 

 the walk and air of a lord of the soil. One 

 morning I put out some fresh meat upon the 

 snow near my study window. Presently a 

 crow came and carried it off, and alighted with 

 it upon the ground in the vineyard. While he 

 was eating of it, another crow came, and, 

 alighting a few yards away, slowly walked up 

 to within a few feet of this fellow and stopped. 

 I expected to see a struggle over the food, as 

 would have been the case with domestic fowls 

 or animals. Nothing of the kind. The feed- 

 ing crow stopped eating, regarded the other for 

 a moment, made a gesture or two, and flew 

 away. Then the second crow went up to the 

 food, and proceeded to take his share. Pres- 

 ently the first crow came back, when eacli 

 seized a portion of the food and flew away with 

 it. Their mutual respect and good-will seemed 

 perfect. Whether it really was so in our hu- 



