The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1898-04-26
THE SLY AND L0aUACIoUs CROW.
An Amusing old Reprobate Among
Birds.

Birds.
Mrs. NJ B. Gwaltney in Youths Compan-
ion.
Few pasfimes are more interesting and
instructive to a person living in the coun-
try than observation of the habits and pc
culiarities of the common birds and ami
mails which he sees. You may read the OBJ
servatjonst of others with great deal of
pleasure, but there is singular fascina-
ton in becoming discoverer on your own
account.
OF ali the birds that have watched
think none have repaid me more richly
than that amusing old reprobate, the crow.
His sagacity is notorious, and from some
things that l have myself observed 1t
would almost seem as If he must be en-
dowed with something nearly akin to rea-
son. -,r
On one occasion. while l was living in
New Jersey near Long Branch, was one
day attracted by the, loud and excited cav
ing of a number of crows down on the
shore of the Navesink river, which ran
only few yards from my door. Curious
to know what all the excitement was about
/ seated myself at a window to watch
them. 1t was just after the equinoctial
storm In September, and soon found that
they were dlsputing about the best way to
deal with some soft-shelled clans which
had been washed app by the storm from a
sandy shoal.
These clans, of which crows are very
fond, are oblong in shape. about four or five
inches long and two wide, with shell not
much thicker than musse, but still too
hard for a crow to break with its beak.
From one end of the shell protrudes long
neck, sometimes. more than half as long
as. your finger, through which the clam
sucks its food. =
For half an hour or more the crows ar
gted noisily; then the dispute subsidized.
and it was evident that they had arrived
at some decision which they We're about
to put to the test. Almost Immediately
one crow, which had been particularly
noisy in the discussion. picked up a clam
by its long neck, and flying up in the
air some distance, let 1t drop. When it
struck on the stony shore, all the crows,
about fifteen or twenty in number, flew
to learn the result of the experiment.
That 1t proved the ssundness of their
reasoning was evident: for each crow at
once possessed himself of a clam, flew up
into the air with it. let 1t drop on the
stones TO break its shell. and then ate its
contents with great apparent satisfaction.
This they continued until they had eaten
as many as they wanted, and then they
flew away. t'
At another time saw something which
convinced me that they have some sort of
government among themselves, and that
an infringement of their laws is followed
sby punishment. This happened in Vir-
gfnia, which, by the way. is a perfect
paradise for crows, with its immense corn
and peanut fields. l was sitting at an up
per window one quiet sunday afternoon.
looking across broad field toward the
James river there about seven miles wide.
The field had been newly plowed and mar
rowed ready for planting. and was per-
fectly level and smooth so that any OBJ
ject could be distinctly seen upon the
ground at a distance of three or four hun
dred yards ASH was looking. / saw a.
crow alieht on the ground about 200 yards
away. Soon two more came from the
same direction, and alighted near the first
one. Crows continued TO arrive, sometimes
singly and sometimes by twos and threes.
until there must have been fifty. or pes
haps pore. An came from the same dirse-
ton, and took ground on space perhaps
fifty or sixty feet square.
They were very quiet, which Is unusual
whore many q them ore together. ana
u WAS evident that they had met FOR a
purpose. Presently one hewsup IN the AIR
some little DISTANCE, appeared 10 be look