JIM CROW 49 



when the crows gathered for hours, and the two 

 observers were able to penetrate the woods to the 

 exact spot beneath the feathered explosions. There 

 they found a great horned owl, flying low in the 

 trees, with a dead crow in his talons. Whether 

 this was the original cause of the battle, or whether 

 he had grabbed the crow in one of the descents of 

 the birds about his head, they of course could not 

 say. He was evidently struggling to find a dead 

 tree where he could take refuge. He was saved 

 probably by the coming of night. Crows have even 

 been known to attack foxes, as Winslow Homer's 

 painting is the most famous witness. 



A farmer near my home, who has observed crows 

 for many years and has the reputation of knowing 

 more about them than any one else in the neighbor- 

 hood, tells me that almost invariably in his experi- 

 ence the cause of a large mobilization is either a big 

 owl or a hawk. The little screech-owls are also 

 attacked, but by lesser numbers. He has also per- 

 sonally seen the crows attack a fox while it was 

 crossing an open field, and once he watched a flock 

 of nearly a hundred crows worrying a Skye-terrier 

 dog, which was so thoroughly frightened that it 

 was running in circles. I have seen crows attack 

 a cat also, but the cat always is wise enough to 

 make for cover. 



Large gatherings of crows, however, are not al- 

 ways for defensive purposes. Beside the great win- 

 ter roosts you will see flocks of from fifty to a hun- 

 dred birds, during migration periods especially, 

 which appear to be playing a game. They will 

 wheel and circle over a field, cawing loudly, then all 



