CROW. 
175 
grand rendezvous, or head-quarters of the greater part of the 
Crows within forty or fifty miles of the spot. It is entirely des- 
titute of trees, the Crows alighting and nestling among the 
reeds, which by these means are broken down and matted to- 
gether. The noise created by those multitudes, both in their 
evening assembly, and re-ascension in the morning; and the 
depredations they commit in the immediate neighbourhood of 
this great resort, are almost incredible. 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 prevent, at least, a partial 
destruction of this their favourite grain. Like the stragglers of an 
immense, undisciplined, and rapacious, army, they spread them- 
selves over the fields, to plunder and destroy wherever they 
alight. It is here that the character of the Crow is universally 
execrated ; and to say to the man who has lost his crop of corn by 
these birds, that Crows are exceedingly useful for destroying 
vermin, would be as consolatory as to tell him who had just 
lost his house and furniture by the flames, that fires are excel- 
lent for destroying bugs. 
The strong attachment of the Crows to this spot may be illus- 
trated by the following circumstance. Some years ago, a sud- 
den and violent north-east storm came on during the night, and 
the tide rising to an uncommon height inundated the whole isl- 
and. 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 repair- 
ed; for they now congregate on the Pea-Patch in as immense 
multitudes as ever. * 
* The following is extracted fi-om a late number of a newspaper printed in 
that neighboiu’hood: “ The farmers of Red Lion Hundred held a meeting at 
