The Portland daily press., 1889-05-25
WINGED scAvENcERs.
How the Crows Are Respected In
Omaha for Their Good Work.
[Omaha World,l.

l0maha World,l
The city of Omaha has in its services force
OF thousands of scavengers who draw no pay,
report to no official, but are protected by law
from molestation. They are the crows who
flock into town as regularly as cold weather
comes, stay during the winter and vanish in
the spring. Each evening as the shadows
fall legions Of crows wing their way in
seemingly endless flight to the willow
copses and clumps of small cottonwood trees
on the banks of the Missouri. where they
roost for the night. A favorite h aunt is at
the bend Of the river between Cutoff and
Florence lakes, where the banks shelter
them from the northwest wind. The air Is
thick with sable wings and resonant with
hoarse caws there after sunset each night,
as the scavangers settle down among the
branches to dream of back-area lunches and
carton spreads. With the break Of day the
sable flock bestirs itself Each member hops
about to warm its chilled legs, stretches its
shiny wings and heads back towards the city
The vast flock breaks into small groups and
they alight here and there on the treetops,
and survey the backyards and alleys until
they can pick out f0raging places. Then
they descend and in short order the remains
of the breakfasts, the scraps Of meat from
markets and the rats killed by household
dogs and cats are gobbled up. Some crows
do scavenger work about the residences
Others alight cautiously In the alleys, and
packing houses at South Omaha. They fight
shy of the business blocks. The crow who
inhabits the Missouri is of the same breed
with the crow who pulls up the farmers
corn in Vermont. In the East he is nuisance
The granger shoots him on sight. tries to
brighten him with scarecrows and dips. the
corn into coal tar before he plants in the hope
that 1t will spoil the pretty ravens appetite.
Two healthy New England crows can devas-
tate q twenty-acre corn field If unmolested.
But the crow who migrates to the West be-
comes respected resident and NOBODY asks
What was your name back East 2" or asks
how he stood with the farmers. He mates
with clipper Dinah crow in a clump OF
willows on the bottoms, and in due time
they hatch out a nest of hungry crowlets.
The father rustles for grasshoppers, bugs
and toads, while the youngsters are grow
ing their pin feathers. As soon as they can
communicating influences OF the city into the
pure, green country, and the whole family
turns loose upon the vermin and insects.
None Of them ever trouble the corn fields and
none of the farmers ever trouble them.
During the fall they pick up the loose grain,
and now and then play free-lunch fiend on
the cornfelds. In the West much of the
corn is left standing in the fields during the
winter, while in the East it is stored in the
barn before snow falls Perhaps this
apparent generosity on the part of the
farmer in Nebraska has something to do
with the improved conduct of the bird.
However that may be, the bird in the
Missouri Valley does not rely upon the corn
field summer or winter for subsistence.
Nebraska, Iowa and Missouri crows rem
devious largely at Peru. 1t is famous
roost for them, and has attracted the atten-
ton OF natnralists Professor Taylor Of the
aAI - lAa A. II
study Of the habits of these crows, and is
writing series of papers to be published in
an Eastern magazine ON that subject.
Meantime the sable crow continues to spend
his summers in the country and his winters
in the city, following the fashion which his
wealthiest biped patrons set for themselves.