away, or by circling slowly upward to a 

 height so dizzy that the crows dare not 

 follow. 



In the early spring I have utilized this 

 habit of the crows in my search for owls' 

 nests. The crows are much more apt to dis- 

 cover its whereabouts than the most careful 

 ornithologist; and they gather about it fre- 

 quently for a little excitement. Once I 

 utilized the habit for getting a good look at 

 the crows themselves. I carried out an old 

 stuffed owl, and set it up on a pole, close 

 against a great pine tree, on the edge of a 

 grove. Then I lay down in a thick clump 

 of bushes and hawed excitedly. The first 

 messenger from the flock flew straight over, 

 without making any discoveries. The sec- 

 ond one found the owl, and I had no need 

 for further calling. Haw ! haw ! he cried 

 deep down in his throat — here he is ! here 's 

 the rascal ! In a moment he had the whole 

 flock there ; and for nearly ten minutes they 

 kept coming in from every direction. A 

 more frenzied lot I never saw. The hawing 

 was tremendous, and I hoped to settle at last 



243 

 Croai-tOays 



H 



