New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1892-12-11
EXPLOITS OF A TAME CROW.

.~rcnorrs nv MAN WHO SAW STRANGE
THINGS EVEN THOUGH HE HAD GUN
Clifton Tcnn Dec. TO-" When this region was
nearly all woods sixty years ago" said an ola re'u'
Of Bell Meadow. 81 picked young crow out oi "i'
mud I'm Tamarack Swami. where he had 'iinp'" '"U
az the nest before ne old enough 10 Nv. fameu
him Abe and tanned him. and III developed INTO ule
brightest bird I ever saw. Like all tame crows, Abe
was miscleyous and inquisltive. There was Knot
hole in The floor Of our cistern and the crow couldn't
find ont what was under IT, although ne tried very
hard. Several times n day Abe flew down 10 lnc
creek hunted up pebble and carried II IN ms ".i
n tho floor Of the c,stern where he dropped II through
the knot hole. The instant he let me pbhe o"p
he would put his close to the hole and n''h
He could hear the pebble strike the water anu ''c
noise out OF his sight excited his curiosity so mch
that he dropped hall hishe OF pebbles n the cstern
before he gave up.
Abe ACCOMPANIED me all my hunting trips IN
the fan and winter and lie saw me klll hve or sN
wolves half n dozen wildcats and several deer. Inc
woods were fun Of deer and there were so many
wolves that we coudn't keep any sheep. Abe TOOK
a great Hiking deer and rabbits. but ne hated wolves
and Wildcats seeming TO understand that they were
destructive and dangerous One afternoon. the sum
mer that he was year old Abe hew into our little
clearing and cawed and auttered about as IL he
wanted me to leave nv work. knew the crow had
seen something that displeascd him. and 30 picked
~ two rifles ana told him to go ahead. Just to see
what he would do. He went squaling through the
air toward Bell Meadow Brook. and when he al'ghted
on tree he kept yelling and looklng down In the
ravInc / Iooked too. little expecting TO see what
did A pair OF wolves were tearing AT doe they
had bounced on and pulled down. | killed them
both before they got three leaps from the doe. and
when Abe saw that they couldn't move he caWed
and croaked as though he was glad.
The next winter there three feet and a half
.I In. hoo
to get around. While l was splitting wood rear The
house one cold morning the crow came sailing and
saalling 10 the settlement. tom the direction Of Lake
Henry. He excited about something. ana h"
pcrchcd on the log and went 10 tapping his wings
and dancing up and down. understood him Well
enough to know that he had seen something that he
didn't like the looks Of up in the woods toward the
lake 50 l and ny brother and cousin put on our
snowshoes. shouldered five loaded rifles and started
Into the woods Abe leading the way and yelling
lie led It's to the lake, where We saw a sight that
I shall forget In space where the wind had
blown the snow fiom the Ice n flock OF seven deer
had been cornered by pack OF 1--WE wolves. The
sacr coulonlt get ont account OF the deep snow
and the wolves had killed three OF them when we
got there While We were blazing away at the brutes.
the crow few OVERHEAD and shouted his approval We
killed the whole pack and Abe felt so good that lie
rocd over the crust several times.
One day In the spring the Crow saw fisher catch
rabbit and carry II TO n hole In Eastwood tree
thirty feet from the ground. Ny brother and were
chopping near by and Abe squalIed around I'LL he
attracted attention when he few up to the hole
where the fisher concealed. We chopped the
las. wood down. and the fisher skipped out and
up a leInlocS 10 where the leaves were thick
we couldn't il. Abe few up a2hted above The
fisher and began squal and squirting through the
foliage below him could enough OF the fisher 10
fire at. ] banged away. and down came Mr.. Fisher
with n bullet III his head. Abe fairly laughed when
the fisher tumblsd.
f" One morning found six pmllets dead the
floor OF the hen shany. a mini: had killed them.
and that night I set two steel traps and put OF
the pulletS between. In the morning a mink had
It's fore feet in Of the traps and Of Ms hind
feet In the other Abe tagged me m and when he
saw the mink struggling g,i ont he up In
front OF II and 10 gan 10 yell in its face | let the
crow torment It. and Willie my back was burned the
mink caught Abe by the neck ana bit him hard
that he died In few minutes"