Crow - Ways. 1 09 



or pull a devil's fiddle, or just call softly — and first 

 comes a blue jay, all agog to find out all about it. 

 Next a red squirrel steals down and barks just over 

 your head, to make you start if possible. Then, if 

 your eyes are sharp, you will see a crow gliding from 

 thicket to thicket, keeping out of sight as much as 

 possible, but drawing nearer and nearer to investigate 

 the unusual sound. And if he is suspicious or unsat- 

 isfied, he will hide and wait patienth' for a'ou to come 

 out and show 3-ourself. 



Not only is he curious about )'ou, and watches )'ou 

 as you go about the woods, but he watches his neigh- 

 bors as well. When a fox is started you can often 

 trace his course, far ahead of your dogs, bv the crows 

 circling; over him and calling; j'ascaL j-ascal, wlien- 

 ever he shows himself. He watches the ducks and 

 plover, the deer and bear; he knows where the}' are, 

 and what they are doing ; and he Avill go far out of his 

 way to warn them, as well as his own kind, at the 

 approach of danger. When birds nest, or foxes den, 

 or beasts fight in the woods, he is there to see it. 

 When other things fail he will even play jokes, as 

 upon one occasion when I saw a young crow hide in 

 a hole in a pine tree, and for two hours keep a whole 

 flock in a frenzy of excitement bv his distressed caw- 

 ing. He would venture out when they were at a 

 distance, peek all about cautiously to see that no one 



