18 



KIDD'S OWN JOURNAL. 



seen for several months, and what became 

 of them, or whither they went, he could 

 never learn. 



The crow, like the raven, may be easily 

 tamed, and converted into a very entertain- 

 ing member of a family ; though, like the 

 rest of the tribe, he is sure to carry off, to 

 some secret store, whatever he can conve- 

 niently dispose of. He soon becomes quite 

 familiar, and distinguishes at a glance a 

 stranger from one of his friends ; and, even 

 after a long absence, will recollect those 

 from whom he has received kindness. A 

 gentleman had reared one, and kept it for a 

 long time, but at length it disappeared, and 

 was supposed to have been killed ; when to 

 his great surprise, about a year afterwards, 

 as he was walking out, a crow, flying over 

 his head, in company with others, left them, 

 and, flying towards him, perched on his 

 shoulder. He soon recognised the bird to 

 be his lost favorite ; but, though the crow 

 appeared very glad to see its old master, 

 it seemed to have learned the value of liberty, 

 and would not allow itself to be caught ; and 

 at last, looking up after its companions, again 

 took wing, and was never seen or heard of 

 more. 



It has been observed, that they are usu- 

 ally of solitary habits, seldom associating in 

 greater numbers than pairs ; but this rule has 

 also its exceptions, and the following in- 

 stances of the mysterious assemblages of 

 birds may be justly classed amongst their 

 most extraordinary instinctive habits. 



In the northern parts of Scotland, and in 

 the Feroe Islands, extraordinary meetings of 

 crows are occasionally known to occur. 

 They collect in great numbers, as if they had 

 been all summoned for the occasion ; a few 

 of the flock sit with drooping heads, and 

 others seem as grave as judges, while others 

 again are exceedingly active and noisy : in 

 the course of about an hour they disperse, 

 and it is not uncommon, after they have 

 flown away, to find one or two left dead on 

 the spot. These meetings will sometimes 

 continue for a day or two, before the object, 

 whatever it may be, is completed. Crows 

 continue to arrive from all quarters during 

 the session. As soon as they have all 

 arrived, a very general noise ensues ; and, 

 shortly after, the whole fall upon one or two 

 individuals and put them to death : when 

 this execution has been performed, they 

 quietly disperse. 



Another and nearly similar meeting was 

 once witnessed near Oggersheim, a village 

 on the banks of the Rhine ; where, in a large 

 meadow, every autumn, the storks assemble, 

 to hold (as the country people call it) a 

 council, just before their annual migration. 

 On one of these occasions about fifty were 

 observed, formed in a ring round one indi- 



vidual, whose appearance bespoke great 

 alarm. One of the party then seemed to 

 address the conclave, by clapping its wings 

 for about five minutes. It was followed by 

 a second, a third, and a fourth, in regular 

 succession ; each, like the first, clapping its 

 wings in the same odd and significant 

 manner. At last they all joined in chorus, 

 and then with one accord fell upon the poor 

 culprit in the middle, and despatched him in 

 a few seconds ; after which they rose up in a 

 body, and one, according to their custom, 

 taking the lead, flew off to the southward. 

 This curious story is in some degree cor- 

 roborated by the opinion of old writers, one 

 of whom (Bellonius) in describing the mi- 

 grations of these birds in the Eastern coun- 

 tries, says, that when they go away, the 

 stork that comes last to the place of ren- 

 dezvous is killed on the spot by the others. 

 At Dunham, near Altrincham, in Cheshire, 

 the seat of the Earl of Stamford, there is a 

 heronry, which has existed for many years. 

 It happened, about the latter end of March, 

 or beginning of April, a few years ago, that 

 a gentleman, riding along the turnpike- 

 road, saw, in a small field, abou a mile from 

 the trees where the birds breed, about thirty- 

 five or forty standing on the ground, and 

 occasionally moving slowly in various direc- 

 tions. At first he was uncertain what birds 

 they were, as their heads were thrown back, 

 and they appeared little raised from the 

 ground; but, on approaching the spot, he 

 was soon satisfied that they were herons. 

 His presence, however, had no other effect 

 (though in general they are remarkably shy 

 and cautious) than inducing those nearest 

 the hedge, where he had stationed himself 

 to watch their motions, to walk leisurely 

 to a more distant part of the field. He re- 

 mained for some time a spectator of their 

 singular assemblage, which impressed him 

 with the opinion that it was a deliberate 

 council; and we agree with him that in this 

 case, at least, though not in the preceding, 

 which occurred in the autumn, their object 

 was connected with the usual pairing, which 

 takes place about that time. We are the 

 more strengthened in the opinion, from 

 having witnessed meetings in some degree 

 similar amongst magpies, and some other 

 birds. 



In the month of February, we recollect 

 onCe seeing a prodigious number of magpies 

 in a field ; some hopping about near the 

 hedge, others secreted in the hedge, and no 

 less than twenty-seven perched on a small 

 ash-tree. At first, the presence of a fox was 

 suspected, knowing it to be a constant prac- 

 tice with these birds to collect, if Reynard 

 shows himself; but, as they did not appear 

 to be hovering over any particular spot, as 

 if a concealed enemy were lurking near, we 



