The Black Hills union. [volume] (Rapid City, Pennington County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1889-1904, 1897-03-19

# NV the Colombo Pc
riod. Was it not on
account Of the fact that our feathered
friend was mainly instrumental in the
dissemination of the undigested seed
of the cinnamon plant that a law was
passed f%orbidding the killing OF d crow
under the severest penalties? Most of
the stories which are related of the
sagacity of the crow and of his power
OF acting in concert with others are so
incredible that I almost fear to COM
promise my character for veracity by
repeating them. For instance, crows
have be2n known to undo a paper par
eel in order to pry into it's contents;
to unite the mot of a napkin inclos-
ing provisions; to remove the peg by
which the lid of a basket was fastened
dOWn-alWayS with some unhallOWed
object in view; to hunt in couples after
a brood of chicks. one diverting the at
tention of the hen-mother by repeated
feints in one direction, while the other
made off with the coveted prey, etc.
That they have a language of their
own, though undistinguishable to our
ears, by which they readily communi-
cate intelligence, give warning, secure
assistance, and combine to act in a def
mite way, Is only too evident. Point but
a gun at a crow. and the warning cry
of Care! Care or something similar
is at once raised from the nearest out
post and echoed and re-echOed from
every tree for miles around: and for
many a long day that spot will be care
fully Stunned by every r in the
neighborhood. Put a substitute a stick,
crutch or broom for a gun and he will
laugh you in the face and positively
call his fellows to come M defy you
with taunts and yells of derisive laugh
ter. The most notable instance, how
ever which | have seen of their power
of acting in concert, and apparently
after due deliberation. was what I wit
messed on a certain occasion of the pro-
ceedings of an immense multitude of
crows and which had all the semblance
of an open-air criminal court; or, rath-
er, of the summary mode of trial and
execution pursued by vigilance commit
tees under the sanction of lynch law.
It was at noon and l was driving past
the Colombo %esplande, when my atten-
ton was drawn to a gathering of the
Crow clan in large numbers. They. APP
peared to come from the east and the
west, from the north and the south SIM
ultaneously and, for the most part, 81
lently. Perched on the branches OF
some large trees which stood at a dis
tance and occupying irregular but COM
manding positions along the seaside
were stationed certain noisier brethren
apparently engaged on sentinel duty,
but cawing their eternal khaa khaa
with a vehemence and energy which
seemed to denote some occurrence OF
more than ordinary import. Perhaps
like the "Oyez! Oyez"! of the town crier
their hoarse, monotonOus cries were a
summons to all good citizens to assem-
BILE forthwith in the interests of public
justice. Presently there was a sort OF
an arrangement of the black forces.
Serried ranks formed a kind of square,
all the birds hopping on the ground,
save those on outpost duty, till the
greensward presented almost a funeral
appearance, while In the center, under
the custody Of some special constables,
an unfortunate crow culprit was care