60 THE HOODED-CROW 



mischievous, but the harm is only local. A few farmers 

 track it down, others do not, for about this time the bird 

 begins to mend his ways. It cannot be denied either 

 that it pecks young fruit of all kinds, and later pulls it 

 off the trees, and if not driven away, considerable 

 damage is done, especially if the orchard lies within a 

 district where Crows abound. It is evident then that the 

 gamekeeper must be allowed a little license, for where 

 game is bred and preserved, especially in such places as 

 Pheasant runs, the Crow may do much damage among 

 the young birds; but why is the gamekeeper there, if 

 not to scare away the feathered thieves with his gun ? 

 Once having experienced such a fright the Crow does 

 not often return to the same place. 



And now let us consider the bird's good deeds. 



The ploughman would be indeed unwise were he to 

 scare away the Crow, that, following in the furrow of 

 the plough, picks out from the freshly turned clods, the 

 worms, grubs, and maggots, which are the farmer's 

 worst en-emies ; nor do the evicted tenants of overturned 

 mouse-nests escape the strong beak of the bird ; and 

 how busy it is when a plague of mice occurs, as it does 

 in some seasons ! Then occurs a wholesale massacre, 

 and if this visitation happens in winter, the snow bears 

 evident traces of the Crow's sanguinary work. 



It is also useful among the sheep and cattle, settling 

 on their backs, and destroying the parasites that attack 

 them. The beasts leave it undisturbed knowing that it 

 is doing them good service. Neither must we forget 

 that in villages, near human habitations it does excellent 

 scavengering work. It knows the precise time at which 

 the remnants of food are usually thrown out from the 

 cottage on the rubbish heap, and waits on the roof, till 



