96 
THE CARRION CROW. 
in the abundant growth of summer grass and 
corn. 
The carrion crow is evidently gregarious at times, 
in the autumnal and winter months : I have some- 
times counted fifty of them together. Unlike the 
rook, these birds never become bare of feathers at 
the base of the bill. 
The vulgar remark, that a carrion crow can smell 
gunpowder, ought to be received with explanation. 
The natural wariness of this bird at most seasons of 
the year, and the perpetual persecution it has to un- 
dergo from man, are the causes of its keeping a very 
sharp look-out; and it takes flight at the earliest 
approach of the gunner ; hence the surmise that it 
smells the powder (which might certainly be smelled 
after the discharge of the gun, provided the crow 
were to leeward); but then the loud report would 
cause it to take instant flight, and it would be far away 
long before the scent from the burnt gunpowder 
could have any chance of reaching its olfactory 
nerves, though they were (and, for aught I know, ] 
they are) as sensible as those of the vulture. 
I turn loose on the public, from my park, about 
three score carrion crows per annum; which no 
doubt are considered as a dangerous lot of rascals 
by the good folks of this neighbourhood. 
I beg to say that I have written this paper ex- 
pressly to calm the fears of sportsmen, who may 
imagine that I do an evil deed in befriending a 
tribe of birds hitherto considered, by common con- 
sent, in no other light than that of plundering rogues 
and vagabonds. If they will do me the honour to 
