Carrion Crow. 233 



Coward's premises, in the hamlet of Koundway, near Devizes, so 

 effectually, that the Rooks have deserted in a body, and betaken 

 themselves to some large trees at the barracks hard by. Neither 

 in Norway, or Sweden, or Palestine, or Egypt, did I ever see the 

 Black Crow, but I found it common enough in Portugal, where, 

 as with us, it is par excellence ' the Crow,' Corvo. In France it is 

 Corneille noire ou Corbine ; in Germany, Krahen robe ; in Italy, 

 corvo maggiore ; and in Spain, Grajillo. 



It has the same evil reputation for causing as well as fore- 

 boding misfortune with its larger relative, but that is no other 

 than it had in the days of the poet Virgil : 



* Saepe sinistra cav prsedixit ab ilice Cornix.' 



And now the women of Wiltshire at work in the fields will 

 remark that the farmer then lying ill will not recover, for a 

 Crow had been seen to fly overjhis house just above the roof- 

 tree.* 



In the County of Essex, the peasants repeat a rhyme respecting 

 the Crow, almost similar to that commonly connected with the 

 Magpie. For if Crows fly towards you, then 



' One's unlucky ; 

 Two's lucky ; 

 Three is health ; 

 Four is wealth ; 

 Five is sickness, 

 And six is death ;'f 



and Butler in ' Hudibras ' says, 



' Is it not om'nous in all countries 

 When crows and ravens croak upon trees ?' 



Though shy and with reason suspicious of too great familiarity 

 with man, it is one of the most pugnacious of birds and will 

 attack and drive away all intruders from its nest ; Mr. Waterton, 

 who has protected it and studied its habits closely at Walton 

 Hall, says, ' It is a very early riser, and long before the Rook is 

 on the wing, you hear this bird announcing the approach of 

 morn with his loud hollow croaking from the oak to which he had 



* ' Gamekeeper at Home,' p. 130. f Dyer's < English Folk-Lore,' p. 80. 



