CREATURES OF MYSTERY 
75 
another covey, or possibly scattered singles which escaped us 
on the first rise. When we had gone as far as a quarter of a 
mile, the dog broke away and returned to the scene of the 
shooting. We called him but in vain. He would not return to 
the chase. Seeing that he was determined to have his own way 
in this matter, we, followed him, and to our amazement found 
him scratching at the end of a hollow log. The bird, which 
had been “winged,” was soon recovered, and the dog left the 
spot well satisfied. Whether or not the reader believes it, the 
dog had solved two simple problems in arithmetic. First, he 
added up the birds to four. On leaving the spot he had done 
another problem in subtraction. The result was, three from 
four leaves one. He had gone back for the one and recov¬ 
ered it. 
The crow, by reason of his intelligence, seems to have mer¬ 
ited divine approval inasmuch as he was chosen from among 
the birds of the air and the beasts of the field to feed the 
prophet, Elijah, concealed in the mountain fastness, until the 
wrath of the wicked old queen, Jezebel, might subside. Now 
the crow has a solution to practically every problem, and an 
escape from every emergency. 
We once knew a family that reared one from the nest, hav¬ 
ing stolen him from his parents before he acquired his wing 
feathers. In the process of rearing him, they had fed him 
milk, and he had learned to like it. When he had grown up, 
they had unintentionally provoked him to wrath. Lunch had 
been delayed, and the timepiece he carried in his “innards” 
told him that it was meal time. Visiting the dining room for 
the second or third time and observing that little or nothing 
was being done about his milk, he evidently reasoned that he 
might find a way to stimulate their interest in him. So, snoop¬ 
ing about the kitchen, he observed that one of the young ladies 
had discarded her class ring that she might knead the dough 
for the biscuits. Seizing the opportunity, he took the ring in 
his beak and headed for the open doorway. He was discov¬ 
ered, but too late. Making his getaway, he headed for the 
timbered lands. Returning a few minutes later, he perched 
innocently upon the window sill. The owner of the ring won- 
