CROW. 
245 
man’s shoulder, and began to gabble away with great 
volubility, as one long absent friend naturally enough 
does on meeting with another. On recovering from 
his surprise, the gentleman instantly recognized his old 
acquaintance, and endeavoured, by several civil but 
sly manoeuvres, to lay hold of him ; but the crow, not 
altogether relishing quite so much familiarity, having 
now had a taste of the sweets of liberty, cautiously 
eluded all his attempts ; and suddenly glancing his eye 
on his distant companions, mounted in the air after 
them, soon overtook and mingled with them, and was 
never afterwards seen to return. 
The habits of the crow in his native state are so 
generally known as to require little farther illustration. 
His watchfulness, and jealous sagacity in distinguishing 
a person with a gun, are notorious to every one. In 
spring, when he makes his appearance among the 
groves and low thickets, the whole feathered songsters 
are instantly alarmed, well knowing the depredations 
and murders he commits on their nests, eggs, and 
young. Few of them, however, have the courage to 
attack him, except the king-bird, who on these occa- 
sions teases and pursues him from place to place, 
diving on his back while high in air, and harassing him 
for a great distance. A single pair of these noble 
spirited birds, whose nest was built near, have been 
known to protect a whole field of corn from the depre- 
dations of the crows, not permitting one to approach it. 
The crow is eighteen inches and a half long, and 
three feet two inches in extent ; the general colour is 
a shining glossy blue black, with purplish reflections ; 
the throat and lower parts are less glossy ; the bill and 
legs, a shining black, the former two inches and a 
quarter long, very strong, and covered at the base with 
thick tufts of recumbent feathers ; the wings, when 
shut, reach within an inch and a quarter of the tip of 
the tail, which is rounded ; fourth primary, the longest ; 
secondaries scolloped at the ends, and minutely pointed, 
by the prolongation of the shaft ; iris, dark hazel. 
The above description agrees so nearly with the 
