66 THE CARRION CROW 



they do mischief only for a short time, while during the 

 rest of the year they make war on the numerous pests, 

 and are of great service to the husbandman. 



Since so much bird protection has been inculcated, 

 these Crows are enjoying much more immunity from 

 harm than heretofore. The result is that in some of our 

 London suburbs the bold but handsome creature comes 

 to feed with the small birds at our very doors in cold 

 weather. I have often watched the ungainly yet cautious 

 manoeuvres of a Crow which has frequented my little 

 lawn at Ealing. The letting of his heavy body down 

 from over the ends of the outstretching bough of a great 

 elm, which has its trunk on the other side of my fence,, 

 so as to quietly drop on to the grass on the feeding side 

 of the fence is very comical. He evidently wishes to do 

 it as slyly and as quietly as possible. Caution and 

 cunning are inherited traits with the once persecuted 

 crow. I confess to a liking for him, but then I am not 

 interested in the preservation of game. He pairs for 

 life too, and is therefore a respectable character so far. 

 And he too is useful as a scavenger, and takes also 

 plenty of rats as well as insects and grubs. When the 

 pair are on the hunt together, one watches whilst the 

 other feeds. He greatly resembles his greater relative 

 the Raven, in shape and plumage, and gamekeepers hate 

 him even more than they do the latter bird, which 

 country folks generally regard as the more ill-omened of 

 the two. 



Speaking of my own pet Crow, a new maid I had came 

 to iny bedside early the morning after her arrival, to 

 inform me that she could not possibly stay in my house 



