Crows as Fighters. — Indian Falls, N. Y . — Editor American 
Field : —In the Spring of 1867, while on my way to my timber 
to chop some wood, I heard the crow6 making a great fuss, and 
thinking perhaps they saw a fox, I hurried to the spot. On 
reaching the place I saw, as I supposed, a crow lying on the 
ground. I approached to pick him up and found he had another 
crow beneath him, and was pecking him with all his might. The 
bills of both were bloody up to their eyes. The uppermost one 
had his antagonist foul. The under bird was lying upon his left 
side, and the one on top had seized his right leg, close to the 
body, with his left foot, and his other foot was clinched around 
his opponent’s head, with one of his claws fastened in its eye. 
They must have been fighting for some time, as their beaks were 
very bloody. They took no notice of me, and I walked up to 
them and picked them up, and had some difficulty in loosening 
the grip one had on the other. I took them home, and placed 
them in a box, but both died in about four weeks. They did not 
offer to renew the combat after being placed in confinement. 
I'JM* 'j y'n Vo»A I. B. F. 
-Ga.3-5, p.nC. 
:ave killed a number of crows in the last few days ; 
all of them but one was blind in one eye. Some of the old 
folks here say it is on account of the cold and scarcity of 
food. Has any reader of the American Field ever seen 
the like ? n. E. D. 
Reisterstown, Md. 
Mr. Greene’s description of the character and habits of 
the crow is correct. -Ho bigger rascal ever traveled on 
wings than the crow. He can beat any hawk killing young 
chickens and turkeys'. Well do I remember his tricks in 
ante helium days. He seemed fepknow that the slaves were 
not permitted to ojvn firearm^ and he would always go to 
their, poultry yards to £east oh ydung chickens and turkeys. 
The crow will kill all kinds of, fowl, rob birds’ nests of both 
eggs and young, suck eggs, pick up and eat the farmer’s 
corn as spon as it sprouts, and will do more damage to 
melon patches than would so many hogs. 
One day, recently, wliile visiting my uncle in Robertson 
County, one of the servants came rushing in the house and 
exclaimed : 
“ Mr. Birdo, please run out in de orchard and shoot dat 
crow ; he’s killing all our chickens.” 
I seized my gun and ran out to the place indicated; I 
could not see a chicken, but heard an unusual stir among 
the birds in an apple tree. I advanced toward the tree 
when out sailed the crow. I shot both barrels at him but 
failed to bring him to ground. The birds in the tree cried 
piteously, and then I saw what the black rascal had been up 
to — he found the birds’ nest and had devoured every young 
one in it. I learned from the family that this same crow, 
with its mate, had killed a great many chickens. Both 
crows were afterward shot. 
The crow has but one redeeming trait — it will boldly at- 
tack the largest hawk that flies. 
I am glad the American Field has a natural history de- 
partment. It is a matter of surprise to me why naturalists 
do not make a greater effort to obtain information from 
sportsmen. Ho one has better opportunities to study nat- 
ural history than a sportsman, especially if his occupation 
be that of a farmer. X \V/// Birdo. 
,K. /, 7-4 / 
