NATURE AND HER HARMONIES. 23 



sounds the alarm ; he repeats his cries, increasing their vehe- 

 mence the nearer his enemy advances all the crows, within 

 half a mile round, are seen flying off, each repeating the well 

 known notes of the trusty watchman, who, just as the young 

 gunner is about to take aim, betakes himself to flight. But, 

 alas! he chances, unwittingly, to pass over a sportsman, 

 whose dexterity is greater ; the mischievous prowler aims his 

 piece, fires ; down towards the earth, broken-winged, falls the 

 luckless bird in an instant. ' It is nothing but a crow!' quoth 

 the sportsman, who proceeds in search of game, and leaves 

 the poor creature to die in the most excruciating agonies." 



Sharp fellows they are, and hard to be fooled those 

 crows ! We have often thought, that with his dark plumes 

 and ready wit, he must be on the other side of " Styx" the 

 Plutonian Mercury. Some of the funniest things we have 

 seen him do, that would have made the frosty, antique Zeno 

 laugh like a Bacchante. He is " exclusively up to snuff," in 

 all the wiles and ways of this wicked world. Catch a crow 

 napping, or lure him within "point blank" if you can, unless 

 you meanly take advantage of his passions or of his social 

 feelings. 



As we are fully launched in the discursive direction, we 

 may as well give an anecdote of this trait : 



We saw a vile, but comical trick, practiced upon him once 

 " out West." 



A fellow had caught a large owl in a hollow tree. He 

 took him out into an open field much frequented by crows, 

 and tied him on the top of a low stake within gun-shot of a 

 stack, where he concealed himself. In a little while the 

 crows, who are inveterate in their hatred of such twilight 

 enemies, came thronging clamorously from all quarters about 

 the owl, and commenced buffetting him heartily. The fellow 

 shot and killed several of them before they took warning in 

 the blindness of their wrath, but just as they were commenc- 

 ing to shear off, an accidental shot brought down one merely 

 winged. 



