BIRDS OF PEASEMARSH 



Hawks, besides four-footed enemies which do 

 not now exist in cleared farming districts, de- 

 pleted their numbers. What Crows there were 

 then had to be on the alert for their own enemies 

 and were not so likely to go bird-nesting. They 

 knew that if they attempted to move stealthily 

 about watching some bird to see where its nest 

 was, they were very likely to be pounced upon 

 by a creature bigger than themselves, whose 

 approach they had not noticed. So the Crows 

 did not increase so much in numbers and were 

 not able to cause the decrease to any extent of 

 the song birds. Nature preserved a balance. 



Since the days of the writing of the fables 

 man has interfered much with the balance of 

 nature. With his coming and the clearing of 

 the land the enemies of the Crows have almost 

 gone, and the consequent increase in the num- 

 ber of Crows has been a great drain on the 

 Crow food supply. A hungry Crow will soon 

 acquire the bird-nesting habit, not only robbing 

 the nest himself, but passing on the habit to his 

 children and his grandchildren. The fables 

 hold good so far as the wisdom of the Crow is 

 concerned. Clever criminals are the most 

 dangerous, so the Crow soon becomes an adept 

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