The Valley Virginian. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1865-1895, 1875-12-30
ON the Reading pennsylvania Times.
A WAGGISE CROW.
THE DIVERSIONS OF A MISCHIEyOUS DOMEsTI
GATED PENNSYLVANIA BIRD.

A WAGGISK CROW.
THE DIVERSIONS OF A MIsCHIEvOUs DoMEsTI-
GATED PENNSYLVANIA BIRD.
4 A lady in this city was the owner of pet
crow called Jim" whose history she gives as
follows:
Sitting in the trunk of a tree beside the cab
in of wood chopper in the Alleghanies 1 first
saw him. lie was too young to fly, and only
partially covered with feathers looked so queer,
so helpless, and wtthal so mishievous, that I
bought him. tied him in my handkerchief, and
hanging it on the pommel of my saddle, rode
twenty miles home. 1t was the amusement Of
all the family to fill up ''Jim Crow" which
meant to take pieces of bread, covel-healls, and
indeed anything, drop it in his wide open mouth
til his craw, his throat and his mouth were
filled. There he would sit with his bill wide
open, unable to shut it till the food slowly dli-
gested, then commenced his s'caw, cav, caw.''
With the wings came-what the quiet twin
4 kie these Buckeyes foretold-mischief sly and
| deep He delighted going into the cooks
room, where careless habits made that place
paradise to. him. He would gently put his bill
under the lid OF her sewing box and turn off
| the cover on the foor--and then the fun began,
The needles were all stuck over the he'd one by
one. The cotton was hid i'll the wood-house,
and the scissors nicely tucked under the pill
lows in the room quite removed from the scene
| OF his labors. The wax and the thimble were
dropped into the acquarilm; and, after all this
| delicious fun, he one day took little pot of
hard pomade in his bill and hoped to the edge
of the veranda roof, ate the pomade with evident
| relish, and then dropped the glass-pot on the
4 lepipe below with satisfied air at its DEM
| clifton. He then flew down and carefully
picked up each piece aud pu. it in the grass.
During the short illness Of one of the family,
regularly at nine O'Clock in the morning, Jim
Grow" hoped along the veranda roof gave a
quiet tap on the closed window, and on being
| admitted, grayely brought with him to the
bedside and laid on the table a chicken bone or
leg or something equally tempting. Seeing
(! that he was duly observed. he would ruf1le up
his feathers, make himself appear like a large
round ball OF black feathers, 'scaw," and then
open his mouth wide for part of the inva-
| lids breakfast. After stirring up things for
| half an hour Of more, opening the clock, pick
ing at the hands, stopping the pendulum, drop
| ping the soap in the water, and taking all the
| pins out of the pincushons. he would take his
| leave.
| The fish in the course Of time disappeared
| from the aquarium, and although all the haps
| andsmshaps of the house We're attributed to
demure little Jim Crow, no ope suspected that
| he was the cause Of the fish mystery. One
| morning he was discovered taking a bath in it,
| and fish breakfast afterWarl. The mystery .
/ was solved, and when the aquarium Was.
| enpted there came to light two thiInbles,
| a pair of scissors, a penSnife and spoon.
| 10 carry away small chickens, drop them into
dr,iioht a1l when No cow a distracted han rnsb.
i,,s ssna',v bout ma harn.,arJ sn,ne nn ooL
~, ~, s.In, Crow, and vent 70 the rascne =
| After days fishing, were cleaning the fish
into the Water 1mcs quickly seized # hv
tbe hnad and ..J1,i tnol tl,a J,il ami ths,,
| tbov nnIlad for fnw snnon,S mo scene v.oS
| excea,lin@lv am,,s;no Tor ...Iim,, nlanted his
littla hiac, feat firmly on the edge If ths hanlr
aa ,s s,a..ly draw, into tle ,vafer holsin,,
on to The, fish AZ soon nc ha fonnd be was
gettny in Woo deem. he lef % his hold and tiew
p s' troa 70 t,la his revanao in sno1nr anil
;t hoo5 ~, nna s,a ha s.oIiloI IN ail tha
AZ sis ond l;ns sna,,,i,,,
srcosssjSn a. ontteral s.,,,ls sa over a,
isE
men, ana mas ihosea psAit3e peopie " ID
ia a'' ,ieer' because u WIS ~ theeAsciy
WINE ne :, was quite Young &c vas ty "
over oy an ti1 lows, sli'ai,, s!sd
p'ch d. ylli. o',t os .ooN straw