The Birds’ Calendar 
—a simple and suggestive scene in the gloam- 
ing, familiar to every one who has lived in the 
country. I know that crows are held in gen- 
eral derision, that their hearts are supposed to 
be of the same hue as their plumage, and only 
to be frowned upon from both a moral and 
esthetic point of view. But I beg leave to in- 
sert a line of protest in their favor, and candidly 
confess that it is to me a peculiarly pleasurable 
sight to see them coursing in their strong and 
dignified flight over the landscape ; and when 
an interval of a quarter of a mile has filtered 
out the most rasping quality of the voice, the 
barbaric clamor of half a dozen gossipy crows 
affords an unwonted delight. There is a wild- 
ness in the sound that stirs the blood; it has a 
pungent, salty flavor that the ear craves. Too 
much refinement takes away the vigor and pith 
of a distant object, be it audible or visible, and 
there is more of the sturdy country life in the 
crow than in a dozen songsters. ‘The slow and 
measured step with which they walk is called 
by Audubon ‘‘ elevated and graceful ;’’ and as 
he is so illustrious and dead, I will not presume 
to question the truth of the statement. They 
are very gregarious throughout the year, and 
omnivorous rather than fastidious in their diet, 
38 
