THE CROW, BIRD CITIZEN OF EVERY LAND 



127 



of the virgin stand left, but throughout 

 most of this stretch a. more or less muti- 

 lated second growth furnishes the nightly 

 abode for many thousands of crows. 

 Here, thanks to regulations prohibiting 

 hunting in this part of the District of 

 Columbia, the birds have found a fair 

 measure of safety, though at times ad- 

 venturous boys or thoughtless adults can- 

 not resist the temptation to shoot up the 

 roost. 



Time will come when the clearing of 

 this land will drive the birds away, but 

 until then let us hope the Woodridge 

 crows may continue unmolested their 

 wonderful winter performance. 



BIRD ASSASSINS RAID THE ROOSTS 



At the roosts, where some conclude 

 crows gather for mutual protection from 

 enemies, the mortality is often high. 

 Here the great horned owl wreaks cruel 

 vengeance for the mobbing it receives at 

 their hands in daylight hours, and the 

 gaunt specter of disease at times stalks 

 through their ranks. 



A malady that has been erroneously 

 termed roup leaves in its wake a certain 

 toll every winter, and, when it appears in 

 virulent form, the occupants of large 

 roosts may be practically exterminated. 

 This disease, affecting the mucous mem- 

 branes of the throat and nostrils, also 

 causes a whitish, translucent film to form 

 over the eyes. Blindness follows, and I 

 have seen hapless victims groping along 

 the branch upon which they stood, ap- 

 parently in a vain search for food. 



Under the rigors of the disease, with 

 gradual starvation, sapping their strength, 

 and with the relentless elements making 

 suffering more intense, these unfortu- 

 nates may succumb by the thousands in 

 the course of a few weeks (see p. 330). 



HOW THE MIGHTY FLOCK ASSEMBLES 



The assemblage of one of these mighty 

 concourses is a sight that will move even 

 the least impressionable, and it never 

 loses its grandeur by repetition. Scores 

 of times have I watched the gathering 

 hosts at the Woodridge roost ; but the 

 sight is no less appealing today than it 

 was on the occasion when I first observed 

 it. Essentially the procedure is the same 

 from day to day, but, like a crackling 



Photograph from H. M. Stowe 



"a crows' roost" 



As a pet the crow provides endless enter-, 

 tainment and not a little worry, for the bird is 

 mischievous, ubiquitous, and resourceful. 



fire or the battle of the surf, never be- 

 comes monotonous. 



Like a human rabble, these mighty 

 flocks always seem to have their moods. 

 There are clear days, with the birds fly- 

 ing high, when all appear festive bound; 

 there are short days with leaden skies, 

 when sullenness pervades ; and there are 

 tragic days — days with deep snow and 

 high winds, when the spirit of grim de- 

 termination alone brings back to the roost 

 those that the elements have spared. 



The battle for existence in the short 

 days of January and February is indeed 

 a cruel one for the crow ; and when I 

 see it in endless thousands engaged in a 

 life-and-death struggle against the ele- 

 ments, starvation, disease, and even man 

 himself, and it persists in fighting the 

 battle on the same lines as its ancestors 



