24 WILD SCENES AND SONG-BIEDS. 



He came out from his hiding-place and caught it, while 

 the brawling flock scattered to a respectful distance. He 

 then, in a singular whim, took the owl, and pinned it with 

 a piece of twine and pegs firmly to the earth, on its back, 

 and held the struggling crow within reach of its claws, 

 when it was instantly griped with a dearth-hold. Such a 

 rueful squalling as the poor wretch set up, may be conceived 

 by those who know the power of their lungs. 



The genius did not think it necessary to hide himself this 

 time, but coolly stood off some thirty or forty paces to wait the 

 result. The cries of their suffering brother brought not only 

 every crow in the field around him at once to the rescue, but the 

 deafening hurrah of their united voices spread the alarm far and 

 wide, till the whole district was aroused, and in a little while 

 the very sky was darkened with their black wings, and ring- 

 ing with their clamors. All the terrors of gunpowder were 

 forgotten, and they were almost piled 'over the owl and his 

 victim, screaming and battling for his release, regardless, in 

 their valorous sympathy, of the deadly hail which was crashing 

 amongst them. 



With a relentless gusto, the fellow continued to ply ram- 

 rod and trigger, until the ground was strewed like a battle- 

 field with the dead or fluttering wounded. That "practi- 

 cal humorist" deserved to have been hung with his head 

 down, till the buzzards picked his eyes out! This was 

 worse than what Mr. Audubon indignantly terms "the base 

 artifice of laying poisoned grain along the fields to tempt the 

 poor birds 1" Hear his merciful eloquence reason with bigoted 

 ignorance in behalf of this sadly persecuted, but interesting 

 and useful bird : 



" The crow devours myriads of grubs every day of the year, 

 that might lay waste the farmer's fields ; it destroys quadru- 

 peds innumerable, every one of which is an enemy to his 

 poultry and his flocks. Why then should the farmer be so 

 ungrateful when he sees such services rendered to him by his 

 providential friend, as to persecute that friend to death? 



