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CrouiXOays 



the real cause and outcome of the excite- 

 ment ; but an old crow, flying close over my 

 hiding place, caught sight of me looking out 

 through the bushes. How he made himself 

 heard or understood in the din I do not 

 know ; but the crow is never too excited to 

 heed a danger note. The next moment the 

 whole flock were streaming away across the 

 woods, giving the scatter-cry at every flap. 



There is another way in which the crows' 

 love of variety is manifest, though in a much 

 more dignified manner. Occasionally a flock 

 may be surprised sitting about in the trees, 

 deeply absorbed in watching a performance 

 by one of their number. The crow's chief 

 note is the hoarse haw, haw, with which 

 everybody is familiar, and which seems capa- 

 ble of expressing everything, from the soft 

 chatter of going to bed in the pine tops to 

 the loud derision with which he detects all 

 ordinary attempts to surprise him. Certain 

 crows, however, have unusual vocal abilities, 

 and at times they seem to use them for the 

 entertainment of the others. Yet I suspect 

 that these vocal gifts are seldom used, or 



