Lancaster daily intelligencer. [volume] (Lancaster, Pa.) 1864-1928, 1881-08-17
A Queer Pet.
Tle Odd Ways OF . Tamo CrOw-True TO
the Family Woakncss.

AQueer Pet.
Tho Odd yysys of . Tame Crow-True to
the Family Weakncss.
A writer in Chambers Jonrnal says:
OF ali our pets among the land birds,
select for special notice tho hooded crow.
He is not a beautiful bird certainly but
he makes up for his not handsome appear
ance, by his exceeding cleverness. We
had one in particular for many years. We
called him Crabbie because of his side
long mode of progression when not on
wing. His liberty was seldom restricted,
unless he had been guilty Of some prank
more than usually audacious, and then
his punishment would be day or twO's
confinement, which he greatly hated but
he soon managed to coax us into giving
him his freedom, and manifested the ut
most gratitude to his liberator. His moral
sense was at least as obtuse as cats.
He delighted in stealing, simply as it
seemed for its own sake, not because he
could make any use of his plunder.
Spoons, needles, wires, pirns of thread,
balls of worsted, little ones shoes and
socks, anything and everything that
was portable to which he could get
access, he would carry off, and carefully
hide, covering them over with bits of turf;
and then wipiug his bill, in tho most self
satisfied manner hop away as though he
had performed a highly meritorious action.
Alas for the half knitted stocking which
might be left on q chair or table, If fCrabbie
was about! The wires would be quickly
pulled out and removed and tho stockings
torn to tatters. / caught him one day
and an intensely iroll figure lie cut-hop-
ping out of doors with apipe in his bill.
On another occasion he made off with a
piece of tobacco. We never could make
out whether he had any intention of him
self trying the soothing effects of the weed.
He had, or affected to have, great dislike
to bare feet, as the little boys who often
came to the house with baskets of sillocks
or with messages, had but too good reason
to know. On tho whole he was on terms
of very good friendship with dogs and cats;
but it always afforded him exquisite de-
light to tease them, particularly to pinch
the point of an outstretched tail, if the
owner thereof happened to be asleep; and
a pinch of his sharp and powerful bill,
whatever pleasure it might afford him to
inflict, was no joke to his victim.
Once an old woman was bringing mes
sage to the house. Just as she was cross
ing a stile, Crabbie's quick eye fell on the
spotlcss cap which adorned the old body's
head. 1t was an opportunity too tempt
ing to be resisted. Down he swoOped,
neatly plucked off her head dress, and with
a triumphant Cra, Cra," flew away with
it. Not being aware there was any such
"uncanny brute' about the house, her
CONSERVATION may be imagined; and when
she appeared at the back door bereft of
her white muslin mulch, and told, in tones
of Mortified agitation, how she had been
despoiled of it by ''craw," she met with
much sympathy from the dOmestics, who
hated Crabbio with a most perfect hatred.
And little wonder they hated him, for he
teased and tOrmented them numerically,
and by his never. ending tricks often inn
posed upon them great amount Of addi-
tiOna! work. For instance, clothes on tho
bleaching green he seemed to regard as
spread out for tho special purpose of af-
fOrding him an opportunity Of showing
how completely he could soil them. At
any rate, what ho did, whenever he got
the chance, was to march and hop all over
them in the most systematic manner, with
the dirtiest effect.
What l am about to relate will appear
to many incredible but having frequent
ly witnessed it, l can vouch for its accu-
racy in every particular. Our old cook
was an expert dresser of the fine Shetland
shawls SO well known and so much priced.
It is quite All accomplishment to be able
to dress these delicate fabrics, and none
but Shetlander can do it properly. The
shawl, having been washed aud slightly
starched, is stretched over tho bleaching
green, few inches from tho ground, with
a multitude of wooden pegs like pencils,
and allowed to dry in tho sun. Crabbie
would sit on some wall at a little distance,
intently watching the proceedings Of tho
old cook, who particularly detested him,
and with whom he had standing feud.
Then he would fly of, and presently re-
turn with the very fi!thiest and wettest
clod he could find, and of n set pur-
pose drop it upon the outstretched
shawl, thereby rousing the indigna-
ton of poor Meggy, who gave ex.
preston to her wrathful and outraged
feelings in language much more forcible
than choice all which did not in the least
affect Crabbic or disturb his equanimity.
In these ways, however, he got to be such
4 nuisance that it became necessary on
bleaching days, Or when a shawl was
being dressed, to make cure he was not at
large, else the bleaching or dressing was
certain to prove labor lost. But then he
soon got so exceedingly cunning and
adroit in avoiding capture that it was
often impossible to secure and conline
him. At last, as VIC could fall upon no
plan of curing him Of his thievish and
mischieyous propcnsities, We were obliged,
most reluctantly, to part with our poor
Crabbie, who was sent to a friend in the
South.