Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1895-07-27
TEACHING A crow TO TALK.
1t is a Mistake to Cut the Birds
TppEue.

TpnEue.
From the Louisville Courier-Journal.
'Yacob," the pet GROW belonging to Jo-
seph Dreshnock, a German cobbler. at 80
1st street, died last Sunday afternoon from
accidental poisoning. Since the cobbler's
wife died, a year ago, the crow was his
only company. andohe is consequently very
lor esome. Dreschnock took the crow from
| its nest before it could fly. The ugly little
| black bird had three companions. and all
of them occupied nest in tall tree near
Henryville, Ind. Draschnock secured the
crow while on visit to the farm on which
the tree was. His >recollections of the
crows his grandfather had on his place in
the fatherland prompted him to get the
birds. He gave away three of the four
crows.
But they died." he said. slowly pulling
at his stubby side whiskers. People here
don't know about crows They cut their
tongues and then expect them to talk.
That's all bosh. A crow that can't talk
without his tongue cut can't talk with it
cut The three I gave away had their
tongues cut dl bled to death. To teach a
crew to talk you must handle 1t like
child. You must teach it a word at time.
w hen you want it to do something you
the first time to shake hands 1t don't under
stand. You must take its hands in yours
at the same time you tell it to shake hands.
fed my crow for six weeks before it was
able to eat by itself. Then I let it hop
around the shop here. Its favorite place
was on that peg cutter there. The little
fellow would sit up there and watch me
pound away at shoes all day long. The first
word l taught 1t was hello. This Is the
simplest word, and if crow can say hello
it can say most any other word. l didn't
say anything else to it for three days. The
bird sat there and watched my mouth with
a into n1ol ito ho11
on one side and blink its eyes as wisely as
an owl. Every once in while it would go
into queer contortions. Suddenly 1t let out
the word hello This seemed to please it,
The bird tapped its wings and hoped
about the place in the greatest glee, calling
Hello in perfect torrent. After that I
taught it to say Goodbye Then it learned
Its name, and when any one asked 1t who it
was the bird would answer with an anus
ing gravity I am good crow quite plain
ly.
THAT crow was a wonder. He was the
smartest crow ever knew He was finer
one than my grandfather's crow, which
was handed down through three genera
lions in the old country. Whenever the fire
bells rang Yacob would yell Fire. fire. fire.
as If his life depended on it. Yacob prided
himself on being able to bark like dog.
This made him a good watch crow. If he
found a stranger in the yard he at once
set up loud barking, which always warn
ed me. When he sat on the counter there
he never allowed any one to handle my
tools. He showed his disapproval by hop
pig on their hands and pecking them
viciously. Yacob was not like other crows.
Other crows talked only when they felt like
it. facoo talked when occasion required it.
When a customer left the shop and / asked
Yacob what he said, he very politely flap
ped his wings as If to make a courtesy,
and called out, Goodbye I kept him in
cage over night, and set the cage so he
&C uld see the door open when entered the
shop in the morning. He always greeted
demanded n
be let out of his cage.
He and Tom, the big yellow cat lying
there. were very good friends. While Tom
alked about the shop purring and rubbing
against customers legs, Yacob would stand
rate. Yacob Otter pecched himself on Toms
back while Tom twas walking about, to
Which rom made no sort of objection. But
Yacob would NOT Tolerate Tom near his
meals You know Yacob believed in laying
something by for a'fa'ny day. When he
got more meat than he could eat he very
wisely carried it out into the back yard and
placed it in convenient hole. He covered
the hole with a piece of paper and then
flew up to the ridge of the fence to stand
guard over his treasure. AS sure as Tom
began to smell around, the yard, Yacob |
would fly down and attack Toms tail until
the cat was only too glad to beat re-
treat. -s nc
Grows live hundred years If some ac-
cident doesn't happen to them. 1t was I'M
fortunate when I placed the poison last
Sunday for the reaches. Yacob got some
of it about o'clock. When he began to
fall sick he came to me at once, and, hop
ping in my hand, refused to leave. I gave
him milk and oil, but 1t did him no good.
Toward o'clock Yacob seemed worse so |
carried him to the cage. He clutched my |
finger and sat there until he died.