CROW. 
245 
man’s shoulder, and beg-aii to g-abble aw.ay with great 
volubility, as one long absent friend naturally enough 
does on meeting with another. On recovering from 
his surprise, the gentleman instantly recognized his old 
acquaintance, and endeavoured, by several civil hut 
sly manoeuvres, to lay hold of him ; hut the crow, not 
altogether relishing quite so much familiarity, having 
now had a tiuste of the sweets of liberty, cautiously 
eluded all his attempts; and suddenly glancing his eye 
on his distant companions, mounted in the air after 
them, soon overtook and mingled ndth them, and was 
never afterwards seen to return. 
The habits of the crow ill his native state are so 
generally kiioivn as to require little farther illustration. 
His watchfuluess, and jealous sagacity in distinguishing 
a person with a gun, are notorious to every one. In 
sprino- when he makes his appearance among the 
grove's and low thickets, the whole feathered songsters 
m-e instantly alarmed, well kuoiving the depredations 
and murders he commits on their nests, eggs, and 
younn-. Few of them, however, have the courage to 
attack him, except the king-bird, who on these occa- 
sions teases and pursues him from place to place, 
diving on his hack while high in air, and harassing him 
for a” great distance. A single pair of these noble, 
spirited birds, whose nest was liiiilt near, have been 
know'll to protect a whole field oi corn from the depre- 
datioiis of the crows, not permitting one to approach it. 
The crow is eighteen inches and a halt long, and 
three feet two inches in extent; the general colour is 
a shiniiin- glossy blue black, with purplish reflections ; 
the throat and lower parts are less glossy ; the bill and 
Ifiirs a shining black, the former two inches ami a 
imarter long, very strong, and covered at the base with 
thick tufts of recumheut feathers ; the wings, when 
shut reach within an inch and a quarter of the tip of 
the tail, which is rounded ; fourth primary, the longest ; 
secondaries scolloped at the ends, and minutely pointed, 
by the prolongation of tiie shaft ; iris, dark hazel, 
' The above” description agrees so nearly with the 
