124 CROW. 
elevated but a little above high-water mark, and covered witli a thick 
growth of reeds. This appears to be the grand rendezvous, or head- 
quarters of the greater part of the Crows within forty or fifty miles of 
the spot. It is entirely destitute of trees, the Crows alighting and 
nestling among the reeds, which by these means are broken down and 
matted togetlier. The noise created by those multitudes, both in their 
evening assembly, and re-ascension in the morning ; and the depreda- 
tions they commit in the immediate neighborhood of this great resort, 
are almost incrcdil)le. Whole fields of corn are sometimes laid waste, 
by thousands alighting on it at once, with appetites whetted by the fast 
of the preceding night ; and the utmost vigilance is unavailing to pre- 
vent, at least, a partial destruction of tliis their favorite grain. Like 
the stragglers of an immense, undisciplined, and rapacious army, they 
spread themselves over the fields, to plunder and destroy wherever they 
alight. It is here that the character of the Crow is universally exe- 
crated ; and to say to the man who has lost his crop of corn by these 
birds, that Crows are exceedingly useful for destroying vermin, Avould 
be as consolatory as to tell him Avho had just lost his house and furni- 
ture by the flames, that fires are excellent for destroying bugs. 
The strong attachment of the Crows to this spot may be illustrated 
by the following circumstance. Some years ago, a sudden and violent 
north-east storm came on during the night, and the tide rising to an 
uncommon height inundated the whole island. The darkness of the 
night, the suddenness and violence of the storm, and the incessant 
torrents of rain that fell, it is supposed, so intimidated the Crows, that 
they did not attempt to escape, and almost all perished. Thousands 
of them were next day seen floating in the river ; and the wind shifting 
to the north-west, drove their dead bodies to the Jersey side, where for 
miles they blackened the whole shore. 
This disaster, however, seems long ago to have been repaired ; for 
they now congregate on the Pea-Patch in as immense multitudes as 
ever.* 
So universal is the hatred to Crows, that few states, either here or 
* The following is extracted from a late number of a newspaper printed in that 
neighborhood: "The farmers of Red Lion Hundred held a meeting at the village 
of St. Georges, in the state of Delaware, on Monday, the 6th inst., to receive pro- 
posals of John Deputy, on a plan for banishing or destroying the Crows. Mr. 
Deputy's plan, being heard and considered, was approved, and a committee 
appointed to contract with him, and to procure the necessary funds to carry the 
same into effect. Mr. Deputy proposes that for five hundred dollars he will engage 
to kill or banish the Crows from their roost on the Pea-Patch, and give security to 
return the money on failure. 
" The sum of five hundred dollars being thus required, the committee beg leave 
to address the farmers and others of Newcastle county, and elsewhere, on the 
subject." 
