H 



even discovered, until lack of amusement 

 throws them upon their own resources. Cer- 

 tain it is that, whenever a crow makes any Croai~t[)avs 

 unusual sounds, there are always several more 

 about, hawing vigorously, yet seeming to 

 listen attentively. I have caught them at 

 this a score of times. 



One September afternoon, while walking 

 quietly through the woods, my attention was 

 attracted by an unusual sound coming from 

 an oak grove, a favorite haunt of gray squir- 

 rels. The crows were cawing in the same 

 direction; but every few minutes would 

 come a strange cracking sound — c-r-r-rack- 

 a-rack-rack, as if some one had a giant nut- 

 cracker and were snapping it rapidly. I 

 stole forward till I could see perhaps fifty 

 crows perched about in the oaks, all very 

 attentive to something going on below them, 

 that I could not see. 



Not till I had crawled up to the brush 

 fence, on the very edge of the grove, and 

 peeked through, did I see the performer. 

 On the end of a long delicate branch, a few 

 feet above the ground, a small crow was 



