Birmingham age-herald., 1894-10-31
GROWS IN CAUCUS.
It Is a Great Pow.Wow, But What
 Does It All Mean2
Drills and Chorus on the Wing-Proceed- ings Observed in the Tree Tops That Resulted in Q Great
 Flutter.
[ooPYR1GHT, lSs4.l

After the duties Of lncubatlon are past, the crows lead an industrious and, happy life with their young, teaching the brood how to find food for them selves, and to avoid the dangers they are liable to encounter from the mani fold traps set by the careful farmer, or the hunter with his gun on his shoulder It is said this sagacious bird smells pow der. His sharpness and cunning in avoidance of it would make one almost believe so. The young are taught early to steer clear of all men with sticks in hand, roaming at large through the : woods, while the loud, urgent "Caw, cav, cayv," the old crows danger sig nal, is familiar to everybody. As the evenings become cool the parent birds with their charges, now as large as themselves, join with others of their sort until all the crows that inhabit a radius of twenty miles. or so are banded together. For month more they pick up their living as one large family, seen everywhere in focks. Sooner or later Jack Frost arrives. This is the signal the crows seem to have waited for, as the morning after the ground shows white, these sable marauders choose an open spot; generally if near tide water, a marsh Is preferred, and throwing out two or more sentinels like the good generals they are, begin regular con- ference meeting. The ground from twenty to two hundred feet, according to the size of the flock, is black with them. An irregular ring is formed and a speaker or rather several speakers hold forth much to the edifcation of the rest. The assembly is thoroughly noisy, and their loud cawing at such times is audible half mile away. The gathering is continued generally, if not disturbed, at the same place for several days, gaining in intensity like Methodists, as though they realized the importance of coming to speedy decision. Presently the interested . countryman or naturalist, who has been a silent observer at distance of this bird ''pow-wow, wakes up some morning to find 8 thin film of ice has formed in wet places over the land , scape He then glances down to n1he distant meadow or marsh just
 see how the crows like 1t.
 Co his surprise there are none there Their meeting ground is
 acant and not so much as feather is
 sight. They are off, he thinks, but
 Elst when and how they left he cannot
 Imagine. A month or six weeks may
 hss, and this casual observer, who has neither seen nor heard crow in the meantime, is astounded some day by the old familiar sounds while he notices black body or two busily at work in their usual haunts. Though the winter is at hand he thinks perhaps Gf he has hnot given the matter some thought
 aat these birds are the forerunners of
 he old lot. He is entirely wrong in
 lis conclusions. These new corners are
 rows who have spent the summer far
 Q the northward, reaching their pres
 nt location only after long migra-
 jon. Hardy fellows, these, who will
 prave winters coldest blasts without
 eaving the northern states. But let us
 ollow the main body south. The im-
 pediate vicinity of Baltimore and Washington are great resorts for them. The writer as schoolboy in Balti- more one winter on half holidays shot one hundred and four of these birds by hiding behind the road fence and