EYE-BEAMS 121 



in discovering food and in discovering danger are 

 alike remarkable. But man can nearly always out- 

 wit them, because, wbile bis perceptions are not as 

 sharp, his power of reflection is so much greater. 

 His cunning carries a great deal farther. The crow 

 will quickly discover anything that looks like a trap 

 or snare set to catch him, but it takes him a long 

 time to see through the simplest contrivance. As 

 I have above stated, I sometimes place meat on the 

 snow in front of my study window to attract him. 

 On one occasion, after a couple of crows had come 

 to expect something there daily, I suspended a piece 

 of meat by a string from a branch of the tree just 

 over the spot where I usually placed the food. A 

 crow soon discovered it, and came into the tree to 

 see what it meant. His suspicions were aroused. 

 There was some design in that suspended meat evi- 

 dently. It was a trap to catch him. He surveyed 

 it from every near branch. He peeked and pried, 

 and was bent on penetrating the mystery. He flew 

 to the ground, and walked about and surveyed it 

 from all sides. Then he took a long walk down 

 about the vineyard as if in hope of hitting upon 

 some clew. Then he came to the tree again, and 

 tried first one eye, then the other, upon it ; then to 

 the gtound beneath; then he went away and came 

 back; then his fellow came, and they both squinted 

 and investigated, and then disappeared. Chicka- 

 dees and woodpeckers would alight upon the meat 

 and peck it swinging in the wind, but the crows 

 were fearful. Does this show reflection ? Perhaps 



