Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1884-02-16


ING THEIR HABITS AND THEIR INTELLIGENCE.
ut is strange" said one Of the professors at
| the Smithsonian. who Is interested in the study
OF the migration OF birds. lit is strange how the
crows congregate at Arlington. 1t ia curious to
see them hover about and spread their black
wings over the graves"
How" said the reporter, becoming inter-
ested lis that where all the crows go that fly
over the city every evening""
Yes. they are on their way to Arlington
I when you see them" answered the professor
Hundreds of thousands, ! presume almost
million OF these birds roOst there every night |
live over that way, and as | pass there in the
evening it looks as if pail had been thrown
over the cemetery or night had settled on the
tree tops. Every tree-and you know the trees
at Arlington are large and close together-is so
covered that you can't see the limbs. They
look like pyramids of crows, and the ground is
covered, too"
THE SCENE AT NIGHTFALL IN THE CEMETERY
They are very curious birds" he continued.
Early in the evening. before settling down to
feost, thousands of them will fuss and fly
about the cemetery, now settling upon the trees
then flying up and soaring about. their wings
flashing like polished armOr in the setting sun
Others walk soemny among the graves. in
search of food, or sit silently upon the tomb
StOieS. iiitiT UuInDefS increase rapidly the
evening advances. They seem to divide off
into companies. as roosting time approaches,
| and drop off in tlocks of two or three hundred
| dropping suddenly head first in among the
trees"
Where do they all come from?' asked THE
STAR.
Il don't know exactly. 1t is difficult to fol-
low them. | fancy, however that they come
from the mountains and upper counties of Vir-
ginia originally and are driven down here in
pursuit OF food in the winter when the noun
tam regions are covered with snow"
where do they come from every evening
when we see them in such immense focks pass
ing over the city,"
They are then returning from their feeding
grounds" replied the professor ''They ALWAYS
fly Ill perfectly straight line and the city lies
directly across their path as they pass to and
from their roOst. Their feeding grounds stretch
out in direct line to the bay. towards Anna
polls and they feed all along the route. The
iced commences in the open fields in Maryland
just outside OF the District, and an immense
number of crows are scattered out during the
day over belt of country from Annapolis to
Washington. The greater number, think, how
ever, go clear to the bay and range along its
SHORES, for miles and miles, near lOw-E-ate
mark, picking up such food as they can find
They seem to have the power to travel great
distance In very short time. but they are ire
quently on very short ratiOns. I think, how
ever, that the distance of their feeding ground
age. the very old and feeble feeding in the fields
near by. and the Others farther away according
to their ability to travel. The shore of the bay
Is. doubtless, their chief resort for food, and
they have almost extermnated one of our great
est table Injuries,
THE TERRAPIN,
which formerly abounded in the bay and lower
Potomac by, in certain seasons destroying their
eggs. The terrapin, in the breeding season. lay
hpj Saln thn CHI
sand, pressing the sand over them with their
breasts. In this way the cross mark on their
breasts leaves an impression in the sand
which enables the crows to find the eggs.
and they eat them with all the relish of an
epicurean taste. The crows rise early before
the wind or the tide has had chance to obliter-
ate the mark. and wherever they see the cross
on the sand they dig for the eggs. In this way
they have almost done away with the breed of
terrapns. This way of finding food by visible
signs, rather than by scent, seems to be peeu-
lIaiity OF the crow. Notwithstanding the power
Of scent with which he is accredited when hun
tiers are about. He does little or no damage in
the corn fields until the sprout makes its ap-
peafalce above the surface. and then he pulls it
up to get the grain at its root. This NAV be-
however. because he likes the corn better in that
sprouted state. Their food this time OF the wear
consists. | think, chiefly of worms and grubs,
together with such refuse as they can pick up"
THEIR NUMBERS.
"HOw many crows do yea suppose pass over
the city each day." asked THE STAR.
Between four and five hundred thousand.
according to my calculation. If you imagine
line drawn directly across the heavens from
north to south through the flock you would
possibly strike at no time less than TWENTY-FIVE
crows. These would cross the line in about
second. That would be twenty. five crows in a
second. | 800 per minute, aud 80 600 per hour
TO
about two O'Clock in the day. and the stream
continues for five or six hours. Say five hours:
that would be 45O,O crows. Quite an ARMY"
''How is it that they are always flying west
when we see them? Are they the same crows
that pass over every evening""
Yes. they are the same crows. They start
out for their feeding grounds early in the morn
ing and before the sun rises they are far on
their Journey They pass over the city then,
going east, and you can sometimes hear their
caws, but you seldom see which way they are
going"
These are not ALL" he remarked, depreciat-
ingly, as the reporter gave expression to his
establishment at their great numbers.
There Is another army Just as large which
feed up the river and over to the northwest
These roost upon the wooded bluff near the
Chain bridge. and all along the river shore
nearly to the bounds of the Arlington roost
Their principal headquarters, however. is on
the bluff near the bridge and thousands of them
roost there ever night. They come in such
numbers sometimes that they almost shut out
the light that usually fingers after sun set. and
to one who happens to be in the woods it seems
like an Egyptian night. darkness coming with
the departure of the sun. hunter,-Or one
who goes as | have, to see the crows come in
walking through this fringe of wood lust as the
last ray OF the sun is uttng up from the west
ern horizon, hears the soft sound OF wings beat
Ing against the air. and darkness settles over
the woods like the shadow Of heavy cloud. Ii
1t Is cold and there is snow on the ground
1t is much more affecting on account Of the per
feet silence. The crows will settle silently like
the shades of night, upon the tree-tOps and the
solemn stiffness is intense. Sunset in a crow
roOst is worth seeing"
THEIR SUFFERINGs IN WINTER
Don't these birds suffer from the cold and
for want OffOod?" asked The STAR.
Hundreds of them die during spells Of Sc
we're cold weather. have walked through the
roOst and picked them up dead at the foot OF
the trees or seen them mOping about in the
snow unable to fly and freezing to death"
hat are they good tori"
Nothing as game; but in other WAYS thev
are very useful They eat quantities of worms
that would destroy the crops if unmolested, and
they are valuable scavengers. 1t is probably due
to these birds that Washington is not more I'M
healthy. They go on the river flats in the even
Ing just before rOOsting time and clean away
much OF the refuse which would breed miasma
They are down there nearly every evening dig
glng away on the flats like gang Of wOrkmen-
thousands of them at time. Crows are logical