THE CARRION CROW. 297 



faith in the dame's protecting care, it will be some consolation to 

 him to be informed that, when birds of the game species lose their 

 first eggs, they seldom fail to have a second hatch, which will be 

 sure to find ample security from its enemies, in the abundant growth 

 of summer grass and corn. 



The carrion crow is evidently gregarious at times, in the autumnal 

 and winter months : I have sometimes counted fifty of them together. 

 Unlike the rook, these birds never become bare of feathers at the 

 base of the bill. 



The vulgar remark, that a carrion crow can smell gunpowder, 

 ought to be received with explanation. The natural wariness of this 

 bird at most seasons of the year, and the perpetual persecution it 

 has to undergo from man, are the causes of its keeping a very sharp 

 look-out ; and it takes flight at the earliest approach of the gunner ; 

 hence the surmise that it smells the powder (which might certainly 

 be smelled after the discharge of the gun, provided the crow were to 

 leeward) ; but then the loud report would cause it to take instant 

 flight, and it would be far away long before the scent from the burnt 

 gunpowder could have any chance of reaching its olfactory nerves, 

 though they were (and, for aught I know, they are) as sensible as 

 those of the vulture. 



I turn loose on the public, from my park, about threescore carrion 

 crows per annum ; which no doubt are considered as a dangerous 

 lot of rascals by the good folks of this neighbourhood. I beg to say 

 that I have written this paper expressly to calm the fears of sports- 

 men, who may imagine that I do an evil deed in befriending a tribe 

 of birds hitherto considered, by common consent, in no other light 

 than that of plundering rogues and vagabonds. If they will do me 

 the honour to read this little history of my warrior bird, I trust they 

 will be satisfied that he is not such a desperate thief as he is generally 

 imagined to be ; and furthermore, upon due consideration, they will 

 agree with me that, when the keeper is abroad with his gun, his 

 poison, and his traps, their game may be said with great truth to 

 be exposed to much worse company than that of the carrion crow. 



How closely Waterton had observed this bird is shown by his 

 numerous notes in pocket-books about it, of which the following are 



