DeSoto times. (Hernando, Miss.) 1879-1898, 1890-01-09
THE CROWS OF OMAHA.
They Are Utilized as City Scavengers and
Weather Prophets.

They Are Utilized as City Scavcngers and
Weather Prophets.
An article has been going the rounds
of the press regarding the great scaven-
gers of this city-the crows. The article
is correct, but it does not tell Onc-half Of
the peculiarities of the situation. The
home of the crows, or to put it more cor
rectly, their roost is on "the island,
sandbar of some thirty or forty acres To-
Gated about one mile north of this city.
1t is cut Off from the river by a change
in the channel, and although on the
west side of the river it lies within the
Iowa boundary. This island is covered
with thick underground and by willow
and water birch trees of several years
growth. Here the crows have been con-
gregating for number of years past.
During the daytime there are but few to
be seen about the island, except a scat
tering contingent seemingly left behind
TO act as sentinelS. But from sundown
to sunrise there are thousands upon
thousands of them on the island, and
until the shades of night finally close
the commotion about the place is ex-
ceedingly great As soon as daylight
appears the noise begins again, each
particular crow seeming to clamOr his
very loudest, as if with the object Of reduc-
ing his neighbor to silence. Then as the
sun uprears his head over the Iowa bluffs
the roOst breaks up into small parties Of
about a score, which start off in all di-
rcctions to forage. Some of the crows
spend the day in the back yards and al
lcys of the city and even in the streets
of the quictCr parts, and make away with
all kinds of edible refuse. In fact, they
are the most careful ScavcngCrs the city
has. and the local authorities have rec
ogniZed their services in this particular
by placing on the statute books a law
making sacred the life Of the crows and
upholding their ''caws" in letter as well
as in spirit.
Others of the crows visit South Omaha
with the same intent. The packing
| houses there, however, turn out little
refuse, as pretty nearly every thing eX-
ccpting the horns of the steer and the
squcal of the pig is utilized on the spot.
| Other parties of birds invade the sur
rounding country for miles around, to
come back again at night to their favor
ite roosting-place.
,lCrc Hill an old character who lives
in a small house on the northern part
of the island, has found a new use for
the crows. A long and persistent study
of their habits and instincts has con-
vinccd him that the crow is the most
competent and reliable weather prophet
in existence. Hill told a writer a short
time ago that he could tell what the
weather was going to be twcnty-four or
| fOrty-eight hours ahead as easily as
though he had the full Signal-Seryice
reports. In fact, he says he has surer
| information than the Signal-SeryiCe
men. for they frequently err, while his
| crows never fail to tell the truth.
"Why,' said he, every time we have a
cold east storm you will see these crows
rise up in body and take themselves
over the hill yonder into the sheltered
Papio valley and they will remain there
until the backbone of the storm is
broken and then come back, telling me
that clearing weather is at hand. If
| there is a cold Sleet or SnOw-StOTm com
ing from the west or northwest they
| will move across the river and take up
| quarters on tho east side of the Iowa
bluffs The other day, before we had
that frost, | noticed the crows fluttering
around in a peculiar manner and just
before sunset they moved over to the
swamp along Cut-Of lake. ] at once
knew that there was going to be colder
weather, and that.the crows were seek
ing warmer place near the water,
They have plenty of other ways of tell
ing me what to expect in the way Of
weather and really ! have got so used
to them that would be lost if they
were to move their quarters
The old man is likely, however, to
lose his pets. as the island, which has
never been built up, because of the fear
that the Missouri river might some day
take notion to return to its old chan
mel, is soon to be occupied by railroad
yards.-Omaha (Neb.) Cor. n. Y. Trib
| une.