12 ANIMALS OF NO IMPORTANCE. 



occasion for the crows. The ticks which irritate cattle form 

 -another favourite dish for the crow, and as often as not one 

 is to be seen perched on the back of an Indian cow. Crows 

 will, faute de mieux, dig out grubs from the earth, and 

 Jerdon states that "a few, in the vicinity of large rivers or 

 creeks, follow vessels and hunt with the gulls and terns." 

 Crows will further eat fruit in much the same way as green 

 parrots do. Thus it is not to be wondered at that crows 

 are ubiquitous. They can pick up a living anywhere ; 

 hence are to be found all over India-from the Himalayas to 

 Ceylon. 



There are so many points of interest connected with 

 corvus splendens that it is not possible to mention them all 

 in one article, and it is not an easy matter to know what 

 to omit. Perhaps the most notable feature of the crow is 

 his colour. Most birds and beasts are clothed so as to be 

 inconspicuous in their natural haunts. Not so the crow. 

 He, whether flying or at rest, is about as conspicuous as 

 he could well be. The reason of this is that the crow has 

 no enemies to fear. Not a bird or beast will touch 

 him dead or alive. Even the jackal draws the line at the 

 crow. This I proved by shooting a crow about a hundred 

 yards from the camp in a place where jackals swarmed. 

 Three days afterwards when the camp was struck, there 

 was the dead crow lying untouched just as it had fallen, 

 an ugly mass of blackness. Nor is the crow a predacious 

 bird, so that it has not to try to conceal itself from its prey. 

 It has therefore no reason for making itself inconspicuous ; 

 on the other hand, it is profitable for it to be as showy as 

 possible in order that predacious birds may not mistake 

 it for some edible species. Thus the crow is black and flies 

 slowly and casually, as much as to say to the rest of the 

 world " I am not good eating, so leave me alone." 



In conclusion, a few remarks on the intelligence of the 

 crow will not be out of place. There is in our station an 

 enthusiastic gardener who regards all birds in the light of 

 deadly enemies, and upon them he carries on unceasing 



