Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1866-01-02

t ground would cover his supplies, if any wher
| about the trees something of the kind would b
| found, but 10 indications of such are ever dis
| covered. Moreover he changes his residence
as we have seen, which would render such sup
plies useless. When the cod is extreme, ant
the whole surface, even the points OF the hills
are covered with snow freshly fallen, and no
yet blown away from any spot, the crow il
often pinched with hunger, and shows that hf
too,
For all his feathers, is - -cod.'
A. SUCH times the sable fellows will resort te
the barn-yard even and they may be seen
perched on the stakes about the stalk stacks the
very picture OF shiVering, expectant hunger
waiting for the morning todderlng to be thrown
to the cattle in the hope of a nubbin which the
boys had overlooked in husking, Or the but oi
which their wrists were too weak u
break. Farmers boys sometimes kill two dozen
with single barrel, and nail them up con-
spicuousiy against the side of the barn, an
Indian would exhibit his scalps at the door OF
mis- wIgwam.
The crow, like other o3rtion birds, has a
strong beak but weak claws. He never sezes
OF carries any thing whatever with the latter,
and never catches anything more nimble than
sn.kc5 or frogs, which he hays in the most
bungiina and unscentltic manner, very unlike
the skIliiul management of the hawk family.
The hawk holds his food down with his claws
whlie eating, doubles his head under until the
strength 1t the upper bedk Is brought to bear
directly against that OF the ella vs., the move
ment being upward and backward and striking
in toward the body. Neither The claws nor the
beak OF the crow Is capable of any thing of this
KIND. The dlsposltl IN to store what is not
wanted az the moment is observable in almost
all birds and animals which have been trained.
| once knew tame raccOOn " hIch would thrust
lis paw iato your pocket and pull out money
which he would hide under the carpet, and yet
- was ~ no means mlserly OF even provideni,
Tor he never laid by anything for winter except
his own person, which he used 10 roll up and
deposit IN the hssymOw. And tanned crow
y vi sooner carry Gway the bright piece of 4
broken dish than any thing 1t might contain.
1t may be asked what does the crow tud to
eac II not his winter stores. We certainly can
not undertake to provide half pound OF aash or
It's eq uIyaieut, but we can mention nany arti-
clos by when ne Is led carrion, off4l, the pick
inss VI barn-yaIGs and highways, frozen apples
which hang all winter upon seeding trees, the
berries Of bltter-sweet, bass y ood and sumach
the seeds OF grass, golden rod. OF seeds OF auy
kind c.estnats, trost-grapes, the eggs of insects
In rough bark, all serve in times Of want to make
up his winter bill OF fare.
Our resident birds and Othe which perform
their migratlons by short flights, appear to OBJ
birds, IN their long overland journeys, always
preserve the form of an acute-angled triangle
Or, according 10 the common saying, - like an
old-l-sllouej harrow" Birds dislike 10 Il 2 be-
fore wind, as II then catches and ruffi es their
feathers and this wedgC-lIke form Is best adapt
ed t. obvlaring the resistance of a head-wlnd.
Inc leader only encounters the full force every
other bird being shielded by his predecessor, anu
also a>s.sr-d y the forward motion OF the air as
= tOat IN the wake Of Others need much less pro-
peling power. The leader, however. does not
retain has post during the whole passage, but be-
coming weary with greater labor allows the 9th
oTo to pass ovcI 4ud himself falls back in the
rear. while The next assumes the leadership.
- Utler confusion Of the flock at the loss of the
leader is probably imaginary, for 1t will often
resolve Itself into olyIeilus without confusion,
each preserving lis peculiar wedge-lAe form.
Nothing can be more ma ked or distinct than
the # reuces anong birds ID their manner of
flying, anu not only can the various species be
thus readily detected &c lar they can be we'll
seen, but also the destination and purpose Of the
Jck. or OF single birds, may be correctly guessed
in the same way. Whe ever ttey approach
wood or water, where they will aIght, there is
d peculiar change in the flying, IN the shape of
he flock, IN the relative posIslon of the Inoi-
vtdual birds, while yet u great way of and
before the line OF fight Is yet altered. When
the hawk IL sailing IN the air be Is not on bus-
ness, only taking an airing, nor yeI hen percbed
on some - Il II the dead top OF tail tree,
looking for all the world like the standard of
the Tenth Legion; but when - he hasteth to his
prey he skirts swiftly and silently below the
level OF the wood, or sitting on the very boughs
he watches IKE guerilla sharp-shooter, keen
and dangerous. He never descends from great
heights directly upon his prey; there Is no
stunning shock from the momentum of q de-
scent 1t Is the conveTglng clutch of shose ter
rIbie talons, which contract and close with force
as 70 natural position when the blr3 is dead
which does the work. | have the hawk
strlke hls prey many times, and the position in
selzlng wac precisely that OF alghIng. The
vuitur5 viii sometimes, 1t is SAID, shoot down
from the SUBMITS OF the Andes to tie rery brink
of the SEA, passing through the climate OF three
zones and the most abrupt barometrical changes
In many minutes and the hawk and eagle
glide dowa from inconslderable heights
but not directly upon their prey. L have seen
q flock OF pigeons s't for an hour in u dry tree,
engaged on their morning toilet, while hawk
was sailing over the woods at great distance,
each IN full view OF the other. The power OF
eyesght of birds thus on the lookout is truly /
wonderful. You may sometimes see a domestic
turkey, when leading her young into the fields,
Will one eye turned upward to the sky, and
utteriDg low and CONTINUOUS sound of warn /,
ing. 1t you lock sharply you will discover a
haWk at great Leisnt anu distance, but 1t was |
detected by the parent bird the instant it en- |
tered her vast field OF vision.
One hindrancs to the com aunicatlon of ia |
mlliar knowledge on the subject Of birds is the /
different names by which they are known in
different places, and this is especially true of
those intended to be descriptive. Observations
1i protessed osnithoiogists have usually been
made IN the tropical la,itudes. since there, IN ,
the winter n, ali the birds may be found |
together ex ept the resident birds Of the tenn
perAte zones, which are comparatively few 10
lumbcr. Tne names they give are often those
IL another region where their habits during the |
winter very different from those during the /
summer ,helr northern homes. Thus we
should not readily discover In the bobolink of
,ur meadows the rice bunting of Audubon. In
many Instances one common name Is good
scoIher, ii there were only common under
Standing. " hat We have called the partridge
d sometimes known the grouse, and again
he pheasant, and then the name partridge is
given to a smaller bird which in the Hudson
7alley is usually known the quail. The for
ner is about twice as large the latter is
)ird of forests, the latter of fields and bushes
he former eats III winter the buds of trees, the
after finds his food Ga the ground, and seldom