i8 
THE GUIDE TO NATURE 
bugs, gently cawing now and then. 
Sometimes I stopped and handed her 
a nice fat worm or a big white grub 
which was accepted with a soft caw as 
thank you. One day I was thinning out 
the sprouts in a row of sweet corn. I 
happened to look back and there was 
Jill Crow pulling out with all her might 
the remaining sprouts in each hill. Hav- 
ing seen me pull it up, I suppose she 
cheese. Of cheese she was very fond, 
often taking bits from between my 
teeth. Sometimes when she was a bad 
crow I scolded. On such occasions she 
flew to her roost to finish her dinner 
there. 
Can a bird play like a kitten? Jill 
did. Playing around the floor or lawn 
she would often roll over on her back 
with feet up in the air and lie that way. 
Cut from Photo-Era. 
JACK, THE DOG, AND JILL, THE CROW. 
thought it was the thing to do. Her 
chest stuck out and she as much as said, 
“Am I not a good helper?” If she saw 
me plant a bean or squash seed she 
promptly dug it up with her big black 
bill. Any visit to the garden by a robin 
or an English sparrow was resented 
and Jill gave chase, cawing as much as 
to say, “These are private grounds. Get 
out of here.” One day I found a black 
chicken feather and the minute I 
showed it to my pet she cawed in terror 
and would not come near me. I do not 
know why she was so afraid of a black 
feather. A white feather or one of any 
other color would not produce this 
effect. 
When the garden work was finished 
and the dinner bell rang, Jill would fly 
or ride on my hand or arm to the house 
for dinner. Sitting on my shoulder and 
sometimes on the back of my chair, she 
coaxed for a dainty bit of meat, cake or 
kicking similar to a kitten playing. I 
never before saw or heard of a bird 
rolling on its back in this manner and 
looked with astonishment the first time 
I saw T Jill do it. 
She often wanted to go out of doors 
early in the morning and, if the window 
was not open, she would come to my 
bed, pull at the covers, talk in my ear, 
pull my hair, etc., to make me get up. 
She made friends with a young lady 
neighbor, sometimes in the morning go- 
ing to the young lady’s bedroom win- 
dow and drumming loudly on the glass 
with her bill as much as to say, “Please 
open the window. I want to come in.” 
One of Jill’s neighborly visits did not 
turn out so well. A nice old lady was 
planting some choice flowers. Jill went 
over to help, but after pulling up a few 
by the roots she was driven home by a 
pelting with stones. 
The best thing that my pet did. and 
