COEONE SPLENDENS. 351 



store ; or he resorts to the scene of the fisherman's occupations on the sea-beach, or the door of the native 

 cottage at the morning hour of cooking, in all cases exactly at the opportune moment, and he is sure not 

 to come away without his wants being satisfied. While living at Trincomalie I always found him winging 

 his way at early morn, while it was yet dusk, in long lines to the sea-beach and to the troops"" meat-store, to 

 be in time for the dragging of the sein-net or the cutting up of the oxen ; and gathering on the sands in noisy 

 knots, or lining the branches in " cawing " rows, these skilful robbers would never miss a chance of snatching 

 up an unguarded morsel. But it was at meal-time in the barrack-squares of Colombo that he was more 

 particularly in his element; crowding in scores round the verandahs at the bugle-call of "dinners up," the 

 audacious thieves waited until the tables were spread and eagerly watched for the opportunity of acquiring a 

 midday repast. Luckless was the soldier who turned his back for an instant ! From the adjacent branches to 

 the table and back was the work of a second, and in this space of time the savoury meat had disappeared 

 from the gunner's plate and was being discussed by half a dozen sable beaks. In the bungalow verandah 

 the Crow proves himself a terrible nuisance; seated on the tops of the green "tats," or slyly perched on the 

 window-sill with his head awry, he does not scruple to pounce down, and in the momentary absence of the 

 Ayah snatch the bread from the children's hands, or dart into the nursery and upset the milk-jug on the 

 table ; or he will glide noiselessly through the breakfast-room window and in an instant pounce upon the 

 sideboard or table, and having from afar selected the most tempting-looking cutlet or the best viand is off 

 again before the Appu, who is laying " master's " breakfast, can, with a well-aimed blow, effectually stop the 

 thief. The only satisfaction that " master " gets is the Appu's tale, " Sar ! I go to kitchen for a minute, and 

 that Crow take away master's breakfast." I have witnessed one of these birds come into the mess-room at 

 Colombo, pull off the napkin that had been placed over a cold joint on the sideboard, and begin pecking 

 away most vigorously at the meat. 



Concerning the Crow's exploits in Ceylon, Layard writes as follows : — ■" He levies contributions on all 

 alike : leave but your breakfast-table for a moment, and as you return the rustling of hurrying wings, the 

 marks of many feet on the white table-cloth, the gashes in the pat of butter, and the disappearance of 

 plantains and small viands, proclaim who have been the robbers. The old 'hopper woman' sits frying her 

 cakes under the lonely ' pandal ' of her cadjan hut, and over her, with head inclined, taking a bird's-eye 

 view of her cookery, sits the ' caca ; ' and now the ' appah ' (anglice ' hopper ') is done, lifted from the 

 pan, and laid on the little circular basket ready for a customer. With a grunt of satisfaction the aged crone 

 surveys her handiwork, and drops her spoon to feel for her beloved betel-pouch : a tiresome little bit of 

 areca-nut has got into a corner, and the old dame bends over it, unmindful of her charge ; a dark figure drops 

 from the roof, and though she is instantly on the alert and aims an ineffectual blow at the thief, the nice 

 white ' appah ' is borne off. Sometimes, however, the robber has but a poor hold on it and drops it on the red 

 cabook road ; down pounce a host of Crows that have been looking on from many a tree, and a scuffle 

 ensues : but anxious at least to cheat them of their booty, if not to retain the damaged article for her own 

 eating, the old woman hurries to the rescue ; but this makes matters worse, the castle is defenceless, and 

 unseen foes drop down from beam and rafter or fly in through open doors. The rice-basket is invaded, 

 the chilli-box overturned, the dried fish stolen, and lucky is the dame if the crash of most of her little store 

 of crockery and glass, swept to the ground and scattered in shining fragments, does not hastily recall her to 

 her hut." 



This account is by no means overdrawn, for to the natives of the bazaars the Crow is an utter pest. 

 I question, however, whether his absence from the towns would not in the end lead to much harm, for he is 

 a most useful scavenger, and clears the streets and back premises of every thing thrown out from the houses, 

 which would otherwise speedily decompose in the rays of the tropical sun. Notwithstanding its utter dis- 

 regard for the native (which is so great that I have seen one pounce on to a basket carried on a. boy's head and 

 seize from it a cake or a fruit), it entertains a marked respect for the white man, and stands in whole- 

 some dread of the gun, flying off the moment a stick even is pointed at it ; and so quick-sighted is it that it 

 espies any one trying to stalk it and decamps at once, though it has not seen the gun in the enemy's 

 hand ! 



At certain hours in the day these Crows assemble in large flocks and hold a noisy parlance which lasts 

 for some time. At Colombo it was usually on the beach at the " Galle Buck," over an evening meal 



