Animal Intelligence. 871 



ground, dug up anil devoured hill after hill of the sprouting grains. 

 One day, gun in hand, he cautiously approached the field to get a shot 

 at one he spied diligently at work pulling up his corn. Another crow 

 sat upon a tree evidently as a sentinel, for he at once began to warn the 

 other of his danger by earnest caws. But the other was too much ab- 

 sorbed in his work to heed the warning, and dug away industriously, 

 while the sentinel redoubled the vigor and anxiety of his cawing. 

 Finally, just as Mr. L. was about taking aim at the offending bird, the 

 sentinel darted down upon his heedless friend, and giving him a sharp 

 prod with his beak, they both flew off and made their escape. St. 

 George Mivart, in his ''Origin of Human Reason," declares that ani- 

 mals do not make signs, "for a sign is a token or device addressed to 

 eye or ear, depicting by an external manifestation, some newly arising 

 combination of ideas." In the light of this definition I hold the fore- 

 going crow made signs. We shall have other examples. Lubbock 

 mentions the case of a crow which was able to count four. The 

 owner of a field in which she was accustomed to commit her depreda- 

 tions, was anxious to shoot her, and to deceive her, two men were sent 

 to the watch house, one of whom remained, while the other went away ; 

 but she appeared to know that one from two leaves one, and so she kept 

 at a safe distance. Next day three men went, and two came away, but 

 still her arithmetic told her one was still there, and it was only after at 

 least five had gone that the sum got too big for her to manage, and she 

 was induced to venture within range. The crow, however, is not alwa} T s 

 good in arithmetic. A Connecticut farmer, Mr. Brown, was greatly 

 troubled by crows digging up his corn. He built a rail pen in the field 

 and concealed himself therein with a shot gun ready to shoot the in- 

 truders as soon as they came. But the cunning birds knew he was 

 there, and he waited for some hours in vain for them to come within 

 range. No sooner had he left, however, than down they swarmed again. 

 Mr. Brown then went to the pen again accompanied by his hired man. 

 In a short time the latter went back to the house, and the birds v now 

 thinking the coast was clear, sailed down into range of Mr. Brown's 

 gun which quickly got away with ten of them. "Ah," chuckled he, 

 " ye are cunnin' critters but ye can't count wuth a cent." (Youths' 

 Companion, Oct. '88). 



A crowd is often liable to be misled by the incompetent. The above 

 disaster might have been due to the heedless impulsiveness of untaught 

 youngsters. If they had been influenced by an educated old head like 

 that told of by Lubbock, the calamity would have been averted. 



Charitable Blue Jays. A gentleman in Wisconsin, one day last July 

 or August, observed jay-birds carrying food, and could not for some 

 time imagine what they did with it as it was past the time for feeding 



