The Sunday herald. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1866-1887, 1883-02-18
THE CROWS.

The crows that gather about Washington
duriug the winter months form q very interesting
study. 10 see them only as they are seen at the |
North is to know very little about them; there are
uai, In their character developed here while In win
ter quarters that ate most surprising, and which re-
veal them as most uncommon birds The physiol0ri-
cal law that tt is quite dmcul " not impossible to
tame such animals rs FROM generation to generation
do not change the color VI their coat does not seem to
apply to- ths bird, for Notwithstanding Its uuchang
abcuess aud samcucss OF color II is easily tanned aud
IN q short time becomes very domestic.
Although crows win gather IN large Hocks, and feed
ami roost togcthe, In immense numbers, they are
very Independent. one crow seems as much at home
by himself as In flock ot . thousand, and in nock
OF thousand he seems and acts Us independently as
II he were by hlmselt Vt seems TO make difference
with him 81, long he Is able to get his living. II he
cant get living In one way he win IN another II
he cannot get living In cornncld, In what might
he termed his legitimate FIELD, (usug neld IN "a broad
sense " he cannot get living after the manner OF
his Kind, he win get 1t In some other way In thiste-
spoct he Is wise Bird may prefer corn, graiu
but u he cannot get corn, vegetable diet, he by
no means thinks vt going hungry, or ot cmiErating
to distant fields lot particular food. lie seems to go
the principle Of using his eyes and reasoning from
his observation that II other birds can get living In
some other manner In the same uelghborhood he also
can: he can do what others eau do.
People who live In tho North. where only few
crows come In summer time, from practical otscrya-
| tOn, know little about them. In the vicinity Of
! Washington, where they remain tho year round aud
whero thousands OF those that have wandered North
during the summer congrcgate Tor the winter, and
where they may he numbered by the hundred thou
sand, there Is ano opportunity to study the on
a large scale. The woods along the shores OF the
| Potomac afford them nnc roosting places. For
some undoubtedly good reason to them, they win
not get their living where they roost that is where
a. a.
the river they will feed the other. Even here
during the winter few got their living In old
fields, but only few The number, or the iock, do
not seem to crowd the individual. The who seeks
his living out among the old last years fields Is
not interferei with by the many-the many seem to
have the to know that there is not enough for
them there, and honor enough to let the individual
crow have his lttla feast by himself; so the many
here seek the shores Of the river, which seem
to Yield them unlimited supply. ono OF
the most astonishing things In this conncc
tiom Is the unlimited supply these fats afford the
crows. They gather here daily In immense numbers;
Ivy thousands they seek these flats FOR their daily
bread aud when not prevented by the Ice evidently
get enough, for they always seen In good condition.
aud II we may Judge by their manner OF sitting about
the fences the river, they satisfied with
what they are able TO get.
The crows here In winter roost over In Virginia,
on tho western side OF the potomacwest from their
feeding grounds. So twice II day In tho morning aud
r In the evening, they fly toward the horizon TC
av toyard the sht may hs one ot their re,sons fn,
thus locating themselves in relation to the Morn
ing ana evening, In going and coming, they are, like
, vise men ever tnrning toward the ught Ever,
: ,,r,,,,r, ,i,,,,. .,,,r,., .n, ,, -, ,., m 81, .,
irregular manner toward the shores Of the Eastern
, pranrh. - nrohanlv as thev Nv ohont fonr mr. Gv,
: ,,as ,r,, nj -, I ,r ,r,,,,, ,,, ,,.
ey vim r,oro onar,v ,ha, In IA, o,anInT rhoy ar
: ,nsn hnn,,v opd ov,1entIv In hurry r., ,,ot moi,
. n,oatt,.,n ,t, L., ,,, ,,as,,,, ,n,,. o -, ~
) oo,,s,onai,r ,,,or ,t,t, ,,au r,,yn r,. ,,,,a,,
r,,. =, a. ,,, ,,,,o ,h,r ni,,h. ,,., ,, i, g, ,
,ecdtrr gronr1s WHEN ,he sho,os NJ ,ho r,yor ar
r,ga,, ,,,,, ,ha ara ,,n,r,, n, ,ot ,hoi ,i,r ~, ~,
a,,s ,ha,. ,y,,, s,,ir,,,sh ,,,o,,, a, t a., Ii,i ~
e IT., a' ,,,,,t., =, n,o s,a,s, ~ a., So
i .. -, ~ So, ,,, a,. - ,,,,s - ,-
-, 49,. ,,, . ,, ,, a., "a t,. =. ,,, g., ~, :, a.
,,, ,, a,,,,a, ,,, 80. ,.,, ~ as., '0 ,,.,.
u ..., .n., ,,, .,,' ',.,, -, =, ,,,,.. 49,, ~ A.,
u , ,"0 ,ar 49," ,, @ ,,'I a
>, s.,,, ,, ,,,, ,,,, -, ,',, -, ,I,,, - ,,,
N .,,n,,o ,,,,,i ,,,, ,o,, -. ,,a III, 49,, II,
:. ,a, a., ,,s,a,.a, ,,,,a ,r 4, IL, a., -, ,,,,,
u ,ss.I H. 49,, ,. ,,,.nr M a., 1T a.,
q -, ,i, an Il, ,,, ,aa a,I a., 80, ', 80
Is 80 80, r,,aa -, ,aa, %, ,,, a.. ,ra,,,a,
If , 80, , - 49,, ~ -, '' 49, ''o
M M ~ -. ,,'t...',, a',, , MI, w.
Of - -. 49,, 49,, ,..,1 -, =, r -,
10 ,,..,. -, .,,,, 4, ,. a..
!" ,, , 49,, ,'s..', ,a,' s."'' -, ~
40 =, -. -, "
10 hawk and prey upon the barn-yard fowl.
20 have never seen them or heard of them imitat inn
1, , -, . - ,,, 49,, 49,, -, -,
a , ..o sy ",' 'o. =,
In r rt s ~ -, 80, ' w A., w .,r~' 80 ~ ~ - =,
s. -, ~ ~ 500
IA hawk
3; The crow Is peculiar anu Knowing brd, easy To
~ ~ ''' '' " " " ~" " ~ ~" " " ' '
TO ~ 'ss ~ ' " ~ 's" " ~ ~
al :" '' '' ~ " ~ "h'
!" -. e.. -, M ~, -, - NJ, .,,
he 80 =, -,
s. , mU'''u g." ps0o" ~, =. ., 'sh' ''5..V" ,.,
~ The crow did not apparently notice or care for Il
"a ~, 's '." '' w w.. 49, " ,'s 'e,
n 'p,"b' w e " "s " P'' VI % wv
ny W." So, ',., ~
ITS S'o" " in -, .,, a,'' - ~ Wv
=" ~ ~ ~ Wv
I'm o',u'' 'uss ''e NOV "i'''o
~ a., the wing. In the air they are most clumsy and aw
,se wark: In their motions they VIII not compare WI
~ II III" s'et'S anu '''',,a "Pio''"n0o " '"o sVooo
lls nu'"' "o' III s'e'''ue'' VI E'''e'"'"esS WIN
are "a"h' Eu'' VI "uH@"' '"s'' n.y. "ol' II"
Dai van" ~ " ' 'e - p''' " ~ ~ ~ ~ " " :,
~, sn', a"" "o'o VIC" 'e."' ',''
dI- '''' ~ ' ' 'es ''' ~ ~ '
ew te'"ooi' anu e'pe''"'S II :. "' 'o'u anu "'n's
t'ho' II "'u'' e''' ''''' '"es '''''" ""'us "'i"'
.he't any might II '"oS nave =" e''ou'''' " he'
heau "''u II seems s,e'' 't'"ss 10 'o' mem " ''
, '''o' ""S ,"'y "' 'D'', ~ ',' 80 "
her ', ,,,, ~ ,, - -, w.
Of wind sa',or wou,u say they were t'sA'nE
II. VIC" w ''e'' oO' ~ - ''o'
hs' 'is" ,lS ,"' ~ 20 "
his utHeh aquaItef o 'h''o ou' vi 'eiI co"se' SUI
ds s'ns ''e ""''o " 'eE''" IT. "'' ''ei"on'H so
tive o'e, ."e s'o.'u '"''
gro Is thick when there Is heaVy ioS over the la
my '"'S van s' vs. ~ ~ "