24 
WILD SCENES AND SONG-BIKDS. 
He came out from his hiding-place and caught it, while 
the brawling flock scattered to a respectful distance. He 
then, in a singular whim, took the owl, and pinned it with 
a piece of twine and pegs firmly to the earth, on its back, 
and held the struggling crow within reach of its claws, 
when it was instantly griped with a death-hold. Such a 
rueful squalling as the poor wretch set up, may be conceived 
by those who know the power of their lungs. 
The genius did not think it necessary to hide himself this 
time, but coolly stood off some thirty or forty paces to wait the 
result. The cries of their suffering brother brought not only 
every crow in the field around him at once to the rescue, but the 
deafening hurrah of their united voices spread the alarm far and 
wide, till the whole district was aroused, and in a little while 
the very sky was darkened with their black wings, and ring- 
ing with their clamors. All the terrors of gunpowder were 
forgotten, and they were almost piled over the owl and his 
victim, screaming and battling for his release, regardless, in 
their valorous sympathy, of the deadly hail which was crashing 
amongst them. 
With a relentless gusto, the fellow continued to ply ram- 
rod and trigger, until the ground was strewed like a battle- 
field with the dead or fluttering wounded. That "practi- 
cal humorist" deserved to have been hung with his head 
down, till the buzzards picked his eyes out! This was 
worse than what Mr. Audubon indignantly terms "the base 
artifice of laying poisoned grain along the fields to tempt the 
poor birds ! " Hear his merciful eloquence reason with bigoted 
ignorance in behalf of this sadly persecuted, but interesting 
and useful bird : 
" The crow devours myriads of grubs every day of the year, 
that might lay waste the farmer's fields ; it destroys quadru- 
peds innumerable, every one of which is an enemy to his 
poultry and his flocks. Why then should the farmer be so 
ungrateful when he sees such services rendered to him by his 
providential friend, as to persecute that friend to death? 
