WORRYING THE CROW. 61 



with him. A quarrel is a curious operation, 

 usually a chase, and the war-cry is so peculiar 

 and apparently so incongruous that it is fairly 

 laughable. It is a rough breathing, like the 

 u huff " of an angry cat, and a serious dispute 

 between the birds reminds one of nothing but 

 a disagreement in the feline family. If the 

 stranger does not take the hint, and retire at 

 the first huff, he is chased, over and under trees 

 and through branches, so violently that leaves 

 rustle and twigs are thrust aside, as long as the 

 patience or wind holds out. On one occasion 

 the defender of his homestead kept up a lively 

 singing all through the furious flight, which 

 lasted six or eight minutes, a remarkable 

 thing. 



To others than his own kind the mocker 

 seems usually indifferent, with the single ex- 

 ception of the crow. So long as this bird kept 

 over the salt marsh, or flew quite high, or even 

 held his mouth shut, he was not noticed ; but 

 let him fly low over the lawn, and above all let 

 him " caw," and the hot-headed owner of the 

 place was upon him. He did not seem to have 

 any special plan of attack, like the king-bird or 

 the oriole ; his aim appeared to be merely to 

 worry the enemy, and in this he was untiring, 

 flying madly and without pause around a perch- 

 ing crow until he took flight, and then attempt- 



