CROW. 
213 
seem always to prefer the low shelter of reed-flats. On 
the river Delaware, in Pennsylvania, there are two of these 
remarkable Crow-roosts. The one mentioned by Wil- 
son is an island near Newcastle, called the Pea-Patch, 
a low, flat, alluvial spot, just elevated above high-water 
mark, and thickly covered with reeds, on which the Crows 
alight and take shelter for the night. Whether this 
roost be now occupied by these birds or not, I cannot 
pretend to say, but in December, 1829, 1 had occasion 
to observe their arrival on Reedy Island, just above the 
commencement of the bay of that river, in vast numbers ; 
and as the wind wafted any beating vessel towards the 
shore, they rose in a cloud, and filled the air with clamor. 
Indeed, their vigilant and restless cawing continued till 
after dark. 
Creatures of mere instinct, they foresee no perils be- 
yond their actual vision, and thus, when they least expect 
it, are sometimes swept away by an unexpected destruc- 
tion. Some years ago, during the prevalence of a sudden 
and violent northeast storm, accompanied by heavy rains, 
the Pea Patch island was wholly inundated in the night, 
and the unfortunate Crows, dormant and bewildered, made 
no attempts to escape, and were drowned by thousands, 
so that their bodies blackened the shores the following 
day for several miles in extent. 
The Crow, like many other birds, becomes injurious 
and formidable only in the gregarious season. At other 
times they live so scattered, and are so shy and cautious, 
that they are but seldom seen. But their armies, like all 
other great and terrific assemblies, have the power, in 
limited districts, of doing very sensible mischief to the 
agricultural interests of the community ; and in conse- 
quence, the poor Crow, notwithstanding his obvious ser- 
vices in the destruction of a vast host of insects and their 
