JANUARY. 19 



THE HOODIE'S PERQUISITE. 



If you are accustomed to read the signs of the 

 country, hoodie crows will often tell you where the 

 keeper is at work among the rabbits, though you 

 may not see him, and his gun is silent for the 

 moment ; for at such times these wise birds, usually 

 wary enough to keep a field between themselves and 

 a human being, are loitering about the pathway that 

 leads into a covert in an expectant manner, and will 

 only fly a little to one side as you pass, uttering a 

 croak of protest. They know that when the keeper 

 has been busy all the morning as they could tell 

 from the frequent reports of the gun that seldom 

 misses, followed often by shouted orders to the dog 

 ranging the covert for the shot rabbit there will be 

 rare pickings ere the dusk falls ; for the keeper 

 " cleans " the rabbits before he carries them home 

 it considerably lightens his load and what he leaves 

 is the hoodies' perquisite. Often they will remain 

 discussing the ugly meal until you would have thought 

 it much too dark for day-birds to be still abroad. 



BEETLES FOR SUPPER. 



The hoodie crow is almost crepuscular in its 

 habits for other reasons also at this season, for the 

 farmers are manuring their plough-land, and after 

 any mild day the dor-beetles from the disturbed 

 manure-heaps wheel in blundering, droning flight at 

 early dusk. Then you may see the hoodie crows 

 on the dim uplands making sudden little parabolic 

 excursions over the ground, and quickly settling 



