240 
CORVUS CORONE. 
superior strength and rapacity of the great owl, whose 
weapons of offence are by far the more formidable of 
the two.* 
* “ A few years ago,” says an obliging correspondent, “ I 
resided on the banks of the Hudson, about seven miles from the 
city of New York. Not far from the place of my residence was a 
pretty thick wood or swamp, in which great numbers of crows, who 
used to cross the river from the opposite shore, were accustomed 
to roost. Returning homeward one afternoon, from a shooting 
excursion, I had occasion to pass through this swamp, It was 
near sunset, and troops of crows were flying in all directions over 
my head. While engaged in observing their flight, and endea- 
vouring to select from among them an object to shoot at, my ears 
were suddenly assailed by the distressful cries of a crow, who was 
evidently struggling under the talons of a merciless and rapacious 
enemy. I hastened to the spot whence the sounds proceeded, and, 
to my great surprise, found a crow lying on the ground, just 
expiring, and seated upon the body of the yet warm and bleeding 
quarry, a large brown owl , who was beginning to make a meal 
of the unfortunate robber of corn fields. Perceiving my approach, 
he forsook his prey with evident reluctance, and flew into a tree 
at a little distance, where he sat watching all my movements, 
alternately regarding, with longing eyes, the victim he had been 
forced to leave, and darting at me no very friendly looks, that 
seemed to reproach me for having deprived him of his expected 
regale. I confess that the scene before me was altogether novel 
and surprising. I am but little conversant with natural history ; 
but I had always understood, that the depredations of the owl 
were confined to the smaller birds and animals of the lesser kind, 
such as mice, young rabbits, See. and that he obtained his prey 
rather by fraud and stratagem, than by open rapacity and violence. 
I was the more confirmed in this belief, from the recollection of a 
passage in Macbeth, which now forcibly occurred to my memory, 
— The courtiers of King Duncan are recounting to each other the 
various prodigies that preceded his death, and one of them relates 
to his wondering auditors, that 
An eagle, towering in his pride of place, 
Was by a mousing owl, hawk’d at and kill’d. 
Rut to resume my relation — That the owl was the murderer of the 
unfortunate crow, there could be no doubt. No other bird of prey 
was in sight ; I had not fired my gun since I entered the wood ; 
nor heard any one else shoot : besides, the unequivocal situation in 
which I found the parties, would have been sufficient before any 
i twelve good men and true,’ or a jury of crows, to have convicted 
him of his guilt. It is proper to add, that I avenged the death of 
the hapless crow, by a well aimed shot at the felonious robber, thaf 
extended him breathless on the ground.” 
