Birds. 9651 



separately, uot more than one in a large tree ; but it roosts at night in 

 large parties. It seeks its food on its own hook, not in company, and 

 it is only accidental when more than two or three are seen together. 

 Generally the crow goes in pairs, but of an evening it collects in 

 large flocks, and flies towards some thick wood or tree, sometimes ten 

 miles away, where it puts up for the the night ; here it meets all the 

 crows of tlie surrounding neighbourhood, who make a great noise 

 before they seem to get a bed to suit them. They are very early risers, 

 small parties leaving the wood or tree as soon as it is light. 



The crow attends cattle, hunting about all over them for ticks and 

 other parasitical insects, and, as long as the bird confines himself to 

 this amusement, he appears welcome, for the cattle submit to his close 

 inspection most patiently ; but the crow is a mischief-loving bird, with 

 a dash of fun in him, and every now and then he gives a sly peck at 

 some sore place on the animal's back, and, although driven off twenty 

 times, he will still return to his annoying occupation. The crow seems 

 to devour anything eatable, nothing seems to come amiss ; every 

 piece of manure left on the road is most minutely turned over for any 

 particles of undigested grain ; every bone is peered into to see if a 

 suspicion of marrow remains ; dead animals are devoured by it as soon 

 as the vultures or jackals have made a hole in the carcase, for the 

 crows beak, though strong, cannot break through the hide. When 

 carrion is found by it, the crow has to wait until the vultures have 

 satisfied their hunger ; but he sometimes vents his spleen at being 

 kept waiting by sly digs on a vulture's neck (which is bare) when that 

 bird is busily engaged in tearing off the flesh from the dead animal ; 

 the vulture makes a clumsy attempt to peck his tormentor, who then 

 takes the advantage to steal the morsel of flesh and fly off. All grain 

 and most kinds of fruit are devoured by the crow ; in fact, the only 

 things that he does not seem to touch are orange-peel and celery, 

 which few animals will eat excepting the goat. 



Without any apparent reason, unless it be for fun, the crow will fly 

 after the raven and big crow, also after a hawk, and bully them greatly. It 

 will sometimes pounce down on the head of your dog, and really appears 

 to enjoy the animal's consternation. At these particular occasions the 

 crow can fly very fast, and manages to keep above the bird he attacks 

 in the air; however, the hawk often does not seem to see the fun of it 

 at all, and flies after the crow in good earnest, when the latter is very 

 glad to beat an ignoble retreat into some thick tree, where he vents 

 his abuse in loud caws. 



The crow robs the artless nest of the dove, in which its eggs are so 



