24G NORTH AMERICAN lURDS. 



fog so (lenso and inipeiietmlilc Hint it wiis Imrdly jMissiltk' to diHliiij,'uisli ob- 

 jects lUTosh, its sti'wts, Mr. Cassin's iitteiitiuii was ndlfd to an iiniiu'iisc 

 acciiiiiulation of tl'.ose birds in Indupondonco S(iiiare. Tiiu wiiolo [larlv liu 

 found, to Ilia utter astonislinient, ocriii>iod by an inuuenso army of ('rows. 

 Tlicy filli'd all (lie tree.s, beiidiii},' down tiie overloaded bniuclies, and swarmed 

 over and coverinl tlie ^n'ouiul. Tlio entire simce seemed alive with Crows. 

 Tliey liiid evidently lieeome bewildered in the fog, and had strangely taken 

 refuge in this small park in the very heart of I'liiladelphia. As if aware of 

 their close proximity to d.iiiger, the wiicdo a.ssenibly was iiiiiet, orderly, and 

 sihuit. A few liirds, evidently acting as leaders, moved noi.sele.ssly back and 

 forth through their ranks, as if giving tacit signals. These movements were 

 foUowtid by the departure of a few scouts, as if sent to make e.xplonitions, 

 but they soon returned unsuceessfiil. Again were repeated the unea.sy 

 movements of their leaders, jiassing slowly and cautiously through their 

 close ranks. After an apparently much longer consultation, another small 

 party ascended to exi)lore, wheeling round and ruund in wider and wider 

 zones. At lengtii, .satisfied with their observations, they (piietly returned, 

 and made tiuiir report in a manner evidently understood, though not audiltly 

 expressed; for immediately the leailers passed again among the crowd, and, 

 as if signals \\\'yo given for a general movement, tin; whole of this immense 

 congregation, numbering, ^fr. ("assin estimated, hundreds of thousands, ro.se 

 slowly and silently, preceded l>y their scouts, and, moving otf in a westerly 

 direction, were soon lost to view. 



When taken young, tlu' Crow can be easily domesticated, and becomes a 

 very entertaining, lait a very mischievous pet. It is very secretive, hiding 

 objects of no value to it.self, and .seems to delight in mischief. It disjilays 

 ol'ten a wonderful intelligence, a])pears to understand and to obey certain 

 directions, and manifests also remarkable (luickness of vision. A tame Cnnv 

 belonging to a family resident near IJoston, and permitted to go at large, 

 manifested all the attachment of a dog. It especially enjoyed the society 

 of the children, and played with them in their games of hide and seek, sur- 

 passing them liy its readiness in finding the secreted object. It was es- 

 pecially attached to the nii.stress of the house, flying to her n-hencver she 

 apia'oached, hovering over her head, and alighting on her shoulder. 



In a few instances the Crow has been taught to imitate articrdate sounds. 

 In one of these, in Cimfton, Mass., the Crow not only vociferated a single 

 UKmosyllable repeatedly, but at other times enunciated a short sentence of 

 five syllables. 



A few are resident in Afassaclmsetts <lnring the year, but the greater por- 

 tion move south in Xo\ember and return in March. Those who remain 

 during the winter are chietly resident near the sea-shore. The Crow breeds 

 from April to June, varying with the latitude of its residence. In Massa- 

 chusetts it has full-grow^n young by June 1. It builds, Tisually in March, a 

 large rudely constructed nest of sticks, moss, aud bark, Uued with finer 



