Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1874-04-01
Pet Crows.


down with fever in India. The room in
which lay WAS the upper flat in IN anti
Iuitcd building. in a rather lonely patrt of
the suburbs of a town. 1t had three win
,lows. close to which grew Il large banyin-
tree, beneath the shade Of whose branches
the crew of Il line-of-battle ship might
have hung their hammocks with comfort.
The tree was inhabited by colony of
crows: we stood-the crows and lin the
relation of over-the-wlv to each other.
Now of all birds that fly. the Indian crow
must bear the palm for audacity. Living
hv his wits. he is ever on the best of terms
with himself, and his impudence leads him
tn dare anything. Whenever, by any
chlnce, PandoO, my attendant. left the
ROOM these black gentry paid me a visit.
Hopping in bv the score. and, regarding
me no more than the bed-po>t. they COM
mcnced a minute inspection OF everything
in the room. trying to destroy everything
that could not he eaten or carried away.
They rent the towels, drilled holes in my
uniform. stole the buttons from nv coat.
and smashed my bottles. One used To sit
on a screen close bv NV bed, every day.
and sean my face with his evil eye, saying.
- plainly rs could he: You're getting
thinner and beautifully less; in Il day or
two. YOU won't he able to lift Il hand; then
I'll have the pleasure of picking Your two
cves.
Amid such doingS, my servant would
generally come to my relief. perhaps to
find such a scene as this: Two or three
hostile crows, with their feathers standing
up around their neckS, engaged in deadly
combat on the floor over a silver spoon or
Il tooth brush: hllf dozen perched upon
every available chair; an unfortunate liz
ar with Il crow ut each end of it. getting
whirled wildly round the room. each crow
thinking he had the best right 10 it; crows
everywhere, hopping alb ,ut on the table,
and drinking from the btth; crows perched
on the win low-sill and more crows about
to come. and each crow doing all in his
powe to make the creates possible noise.
The faithful Pandoo would take all this in
ut :: gl tnve; then would enSue Il hrlter-
Skelter retreat. and the windows darkcnel
bv the black wings of the flying crows,
tnen silence for moment only broken by
some apologize remark from Pandoo.
When at length happy DAYS of GONZALES
cence came round. and was able TO get
mp, and even eat my meals at the table, |
found nv friends. the crows. Il little more
civil and respectful. The thought occurred
to me to make friends with them: | con-
sequently began Il regular system of feed
ING them after meal-time. One old crow
| caught, and chained TO Il chair with a
titlde-string. He WAS funny old fellow.
with one club-foot. He never refused his
food from the very day of his captivity
and soon taught him few tricks One
WAS to lie on his back. when SO placed. for
anv length of time. ill set on his legs
again This was called turning the turtle.
But, one day. this bird of freedom hopped
AWAY fid,llr-string and all. and Il whole
fortnight elapsed before | saw him again.
| WIS Just beginning to put faith In "A belief
! common in India -ntmely, that Il crow. or
anv other bird that has been for any time
living with human beings, is put to in
slant death the moment he returns to the
bosom of his family; when. one day, while
engaged breakfasting some forty crows,
my club-footed pet reappeared, and actu-
tllv picked the bit from my hand. and ever
after, until left. he came regularly thrice
:, dav to be fed The other crows came
with surprising exactness at meal-times
first one would light on the shutter outside
the window, and peep in, rs if to ascertain
how nearly done happened to be, then
tiv away for five or ten minutes, when he
would return and have another keek. As
soon, however. us approached the win
dow, and raised my arm. L was saluted
with a chorus of cawing from the banyan-
tree then down they swoOped in dozens
and it WAS no very easy task to fill so many
mouths. although the loaves We're govern
ment ones.
These pets had a deadly enemy in the
brown r:tven-the bramala-kite; swifter
than arrow from bow he descended, de-
scribing the arc of n great circle, and
carving off in his flight the largest lump
of bread he could spy He, for one. never
stopped to bless the hand Of the giver; but
tha crows, | know, were not ungrateful
Club-foot used to perch beside me on a
chair, and pick his morsels from the floor
always promising that two windows al
least must be open. As to the others. theil
: prosecutions ended; they never appeared
except whsn called upon. The last o.
their aggression was to devour very fine
specimen of praying mantis had confined
in a quinne bottle. The first day. the
) paper cover had been torn off, and the
? mantis had only escaped by keeping clos'
ut the bottom; next day. the cover wa
again broken, and the bottle itself capsized
the poor mantis had prayed in vain TO
once. Club-foot, think, must have stop
ped all day in the banyan-tree, for neve
! went to the window to call him withou
u his appearino at once with joyful cav