C o r vus ame r i c anus . 
1892. Mass . 
Sept. I . Concord .- As were skirting the eastern base of Holden's Hill £ TPF3 . 
a large, broad-winged bird started from an oak and flew out over ESkfiJkELH 
the meadow. I did not see it at first but C. who did, thought an Owl . 
that it was an Owl. The question was quickly settled in the 
affirmative by the Crows who the next moment began cawing franti- 
cally and collecting from far and near to assail their hated 
enemy. Judging by the sound ( for we could see nothing through 
the dense foliage) the chase led first out over the Great Meadows 1 
and then turned back. Finally it became evident that the Owl 
had alighted in one of the trees at the southern base of the 
hill. I advanced slowly and with great caution and presently 
saw at least thirty Crows in the top of a tall chestnut. Some 
were sitting quietly on the branches, others hopped or flitted 
excitedly from branch to branch, while still others circled above 
the top of the tree occasionally dashing madly down through the 
foliage. Their cawing at times was almost deafening while at 
others they would relapse into nearly or quite perfect silence. 
The clamor usually started abruptly, (probably at some movement 
on the part of the Owl ) lasted half a minute or more and then 
gradually lessened. At its height it formed a perfect roar of 
angry sounds which had little of the usual Crow quality remind- 
ing me by turns of the hoarse barking of many large dogs or of 
the shouting of men. At a distance it was strikingly like the 
roaring sound of escaping steam. Although I scanned the trees 
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