292 UNDER THE OPEN SKY 



itself. February is true winter still, and 

 every trace of active animal life is striking 

 enough to be interesting. 



THE CROW 



There are a few of our animals for whom 

 winter with all its privations has no terrors; 

 and amongst these none maintains his equa- 

 nimity more entirely than the crow, who now 

 is holding his winter conclaves. I think the 

 convention assembled near my home this 

 winter must number a thousand members. 



everybody's JIM 



Every one seems on easy terms with the 

 crow. No one hesitates to call him Jim, 

 nor does he ever seem to resent it. He is 

 the easy-going fellow of whom no one knows 

 any definite harm, yet for whom certainly 

 no one is willing to say anything distinctly 

 good. He is semi -disreputable without be- 

 ing thoroughly bad. So his name becomes 

 a byword. When you have a friendly 

 quarrel with a neighbor, you "pick a crow" 

 with him. When you wish to point the 



