CHAP. II.] CEOWS. 171 



guarded in any apartment accessible to them. The con- 

 tents of ladies' work-boxes, kid gloves, and pocket hand- 

 kerchiefs vanish instantly if exposed near a window or 

 open door. They open paper parcels to ascertain the 

 contents ; they will undo the knot on a napkin if it 

 encloses anything eatable, and I have known a crow to 

 extract the peg which fastened the lid of a basket in 

 order to plunder the provender within. 



On one occ&sion a nurse seated in a garden adjoining 

 a regimental mess-room, was terrified by seeing a bloody 

 clasp-knife drop from the air at her feet ; but the mys- 

 tery was explained on learning that a crow, which had 

 been watching the cook chopping mince-meat, had seized 

 the moment when his head was turned to carry off the 

 knife. 



One of these ingenious marauders, after vainly atti- 

 tudinising in front of a chained watch-dog, that was 

 lazily gnawing a bone, and after fruitlessly endeavour- 

 ing to divert his attention by dancing before him, with 

 head awry and eye askance, at length flew away for 

 a moment, and returned bringing a companion whicli 

 perched itself on a branch a few yards in the rear. The 

 crow's grimaces were now actively renewed, but with no 

 better success, tih 1 its confederate, poising himself on his 

 wings, descended with the utmost velocity, striking the 

 dog upon the spine with aU the force of his strong beak. 

 The ruse was successful ; the dog started with surprise 

 and pain, but not quickly enough to seize his assailant, 

 whilst the bone he had been gnawing was snatched away 

 by the other crow the instant his head was turned. Two 

 well-authenticated instances of the recurrence of this 

 device came within my knowledge at Colombo, and attest 

 the sagacity and powers of communication and combina- 

 tion possessed by these astute and courageous birds. 



On the approach of evening the crows near Colombo 

 assemble in noisy groups along the margin of the fresh- 

 water lake which surrounds the fort on the eastern side ; 

 and here for an hour or two they enjoy the luxury of the 



