CHAPTER XXIII 



Crows A many-wintered Crow Crows and Grouse Effect of persecution 

 on Crows Habits of Usefulness of. 



NEAR Fedo, I was shown the site of a nest from which the 

 keeper had shot a Crow that had nearly the whole of both 

 wings white. It had nested there, the farmer said, to his 

 knowledge, for more than forty years, and was such a 

 favourite with him that he " would rather have lost all 

 his ducks and chickens than had it killed. It had brought 

 him luck in many ventures, but now he could not tell 

 how things might go," and warmly did the old man curse 

 the keeper's interference ! It was, no doubt, a pity that 

 such an old and " many wintered crow " should have 

 been killed, especially one distinguished as it was by its 

 white feathers, yet it cannot be denied that, from his point 

 of view, the keeper had right on his side ; for there does 

 not exist upon a moor a greater enemy to Grouse than 

 the " Corby." In cunning, and intelligence, it almost 

 equals the Raven, and in its fondness for eggs, and its 

 capacity to find them, it far exceeds it ; while it will 

 without hesitation attack a pair of Grouse, and generally 

 succeed in carrying off one or more of their brood despite 

 any resistance they may offer. It will return again and 

 again to the charge, though as often beaten off by an 

 enraged parent, or disturbed by human presence. In 

 fact, it is its persistence, and what may be called its 

 " though tfulness " in attack, that makes it such a formidable 

 foe to the game preserver. Occasionally it may forfeit 

 its life to the defenders of the nest, or brood, attacked, 

 rather than desist from the attempted theft ; but its weapons 

 of offence and defence so greatly exceed in effectiveness 



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