THE CROW. r> 



there. The Crow's intelligence is of course kept up to a 

 high level by the constant elimination of the young f ook 

 by death or capture ; the old bird knows well the differ- 

 ence between a stick or umbrella and a gun. I have 

 almost touched one with an umbrella and seen another 

 suddenly recollect an appointment to a distant part of 

 Calcutta on catching sight of a gun in my verandah. That 

 a Crow should know a gun when he sees it, or that many 

 birds should have a working acquaintance with the range 

 of that weapon, is not so surprising a fact as might seem 

 at first sight, for we must remember that birds have to 

 learn by experience the appearance of their different 

 natural enemies and the distance at which the proximity 

 of each one becomes dangerous. Our Crow will pull at a 

 kite's tail, or swoop on its back, out of pure light-hearted- 

 ness and mischief; but he will not play tricks of that kind 

 with a falcon, though he makes no secret of his hatred of 

 the nobler bird. Similarly, I have seen Crows mobbing a 

 tree-civet or toddy-cat, but although they made a great 

 deal of noise, they took care to keep well out of reach ; 

 while with a dog they will go so far, I am told, as to tell off 

 one of the fraternity to pull his tail when he is engaged 

 with a bone, so that when the aggrieved canine turns 

 round to snap, those in front can make off with his dinner. 

 And this I can readily believe, as T have seen exactly the 

 same trick played or attempted on a kite more than once ; 

 the Crows in the last cases I have observed seemed un- 

 doubtedly to be pairs, which accounts for their working 

 together so well. No doubt the female does the tail-pulling, 

 while the male takes the post of danger in front ; in one 





