The herald., 1894-08-05
roo MUCH FOR A GROW.
Tho Bird Was Suspicious of q Piece of Meat
Swinging In the Wind.

The crow has fine manners. He always
has the walk and air of lord of the soil.
One morning put out some fresh meat
upon the snow near my study window.
Presently q crow carno and carried it off
and alighted with 10 upon the ground in
the vineyard. While he was eating of it
another crow came, and alighting a few
yards away slowly walked up to within a
few feet of his fellow and stopped. ex-
pected to see a struggle over the food, as
would have been the case with domestic
fowls or animals. Nothing of the kind.
The feeding crow stopped eating, regarded
the other for q moment, made a gesture
or two and few awey. Then the second
crow went up to tho food and proceeded to
take his share Presently the first crow
camo back, when each seized a portion of
the food and few away with it. Their mu-
tual respect and good will seemed perfect.
Whether it really was SO in our human
sense or whether it was simply an illus
tration Of the instinct of mutual support
which seems to prevail among gregarious
birds 1 know not. Birds that are solitary
In their habits, like hawks or woodpeck-
ers, behave quite differently toward one
another in the presence OF their food.
Tho lives of wild creatures revolve about
two facts or emotions, appetite and fear
Their kcenness in discovering food and
danger is remarkable. But man can nearly
always outwit them, because while his per-
ceptions are not 80 sharp his power Of re-
Election is much greater. His cunning car
ries great deal further. The crow will
quickly discover anything that looks like
trap or snare set to catch him, but it
takes him long time to see through the
simplest contrivance. AS | have above
stated, sometimes place meat on the snow
in front of my study window to attract
him.
On one occasion, after couple of crows
had como to expect something there daily,
l suspended a piece Of meat by string
from branch Of the tree just over the
spot where l usually placed the food a
crow soon discovered it and came into the
tree to see what it meant His suspicious
were aroused. There was some design in
that suspended meat, evidently. 1t was a
trap to catch him. He surveyed it from
every near branch He peeked and pried
and was bent on penetrating the mystery.
He flew to the ground and walked about
and surveyed it from all sides. Then he
took long walk down about the vineyard,
as if in hope of hitting upon some clew;
then he cane TO the tree again and tried
first one eye, then the other, upon it; then
to the ground beneath; then he went
away and came back; then his fellow
came and they both squinted and investi-
gated and then Disappeared. Chickadees
and woodpeckers would aiight upon the
meat and peck it swinging in the wind, but
the crows were fearful Does this show
re1ectionP Perhaps it does, but I look
upon it rather as that instinct Of fear and
cunning SO characteristic of the crow.
Two days passed thus. Every morning
the crows came and surveyed the suspend
ed meat from all points in the tree and
then went away. The third day placed
a large bone on the snow beneath the sus-
pended morsel. Presently one of the crows
appeared in tho tree and bent his eye upon
the tempting bone. 1.-The mystery deep
ems, ho seemed to say to himself. But
after half an hours investigation, and aft
er approaching several times within few
feet of the food upon the ground, he seemed
to conclude there was no connection be-
tween it and the piece hanging by the
string. So he finally walked up to it and
fell to pecking it, dipping his wings all
the time, as sign of his watchfulness
He also turned np his eye, momentarily,
to the piece in the air above, as If it might
be a sword of Damocles ready to fall upon
him.
Soon his mate came and alighted on
low branch Of ths tree. The feeding crow
regarded him moment and then few up
to his SIDE as if to give him a turn at the
meat. But he refused 20 run the risk. He
evidently locked upon the whele thing as
a delusion and asnare and presently went
away, and his mate followed him. Then
placed the bono In one of the main forks
of the tree, but the crows Kept at safo
distance from it Then put it back to
the ground, hut they grew more and more
suspicious Some evil intent in it all,
they thought. Finally dog carried off
the bone, and the crows ceased to visit the
tree.-John Burroughs in Century.