The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1902-11-27
CONCERNING THE CROW
As Pet OF Pest Something About ''Ben
Hassan.''

crow. We have one that has been with
us year and half He was caught
when old enough to fly, and could feed
himself; and is not as tame as some we
have seen. But Ben Hassan, that is
his name, will come when called, and
can see a piece of bread in your hand
five or fifty rods away. A crow can no
doubt see as plainly fifty rods away as
object. But Ben objects to come
nearer his best friends than thirty feet
and will keep greater distance from
stranger unless he is in the hen house
wleIe he has a spare barrel with a
motherly old hen, which left her quar-
tiers and took up her abode with Ben:
Generally Ben is more of an expert than
a person about hens. He knows good
and bad hens, and hens with chickens,
and the rooster Some of the hens
look just alike to a person, but Ben
knows them all. He is more afraid of
a woman than a man. All crows are.
Probably it is in the movement of their
dress or hat. Still it is the man who is
trying to circumvent and destroy them.
Ben seems to be diStruStful of his best
friends: You find sweet morsel which
Ben has tucked away in a crack in the
hen house, and put some more there,
and perhaps he will not touch it. Pos
slbly that may be crow honor; no steal
ing from each other, Under the most
favorable circumstance, when there is
no danger whatever, a crow will hardly
ever peck at food more than once be-
fore looking around: and when they
hear anyone on the other side of a
building they are very apt to peek
around the corner to see what is up.
They will side off from almost every
moving object on farm but sheep
Ben will 60 close TO the nose of sheep
i'll the orchard to get soft apple with
out any fear.
But with all the cunning and keen
sightedness OF a crow they are great
towards. A little king bird will punish
crow badly and all the crow does is to
cav and get away. Then, after all these
stormy winters, The crow never learns
to have pluck to buffet and hang to it in
a strong breeze, especially if it comes in
puffs, but instead of trying to forge
ahead after two or three puffs, around
they go and scud for it to leeward, to no.
body knows where. That is the way
Ben Hassan nearly got his quietus the
first strong windy day some two weeks
ago In some of Ben's exploits on the
wing that day he lost his head and his
courage, and instead of trying to alight
and get home between the lulls he
swung around and ran for it before the
wind. and probably was going too fast
to ahght and was too tired to head into
the wind again. He was in fine trim,
glossy, well fed and finely feathered,
and was ore than match at scudding
with the best Of tie crows, and the way
the wind Was lie might have gone as far
snce before he fetched up. The two
days following the blow were good crow
days, with light winds, and late the sec
ond day Ben Hassan came Jogging
along, we'll up, and took his usual circle
around the buildings and went into the
hen house. But his glossiness was
almost gone, his hip bone was broken,
and he was almost starved. OF course
We ministered to his wants and tried
TO get the motherly cid hen for COM
pany for him, but could not pick her
out with so many like her. SO Ben
was shut i'll alone, with the claws of
one foot rolled in a ball and useless.
1t would surprise one who gets near
a crow that has been flying in heavy
wind to see how tired it is. If they
start to fly with something in their
beak they will hold it, even If it is use
less and obstructS their flight. A crow
is not the bird it is represented, in many
ways. Dry corn is of no use to crow, |
and they never eat it until it is soaked |
and softened. A crow has no crop like
hen, but they use their swallow for a |
dinner pail and to soften their food and |
feed their young. When they get hun
CRY they disgorge the contents of their
dinner pail and look it over, and if suit
able and softened will eat it, but if not |
they get something else and swallow |
the food again, or vary sometimes by
hiding it. When Ben Hassan finds a |
very sweet morsel with bone in it he |
keeps the run of it. Sometimes it is in
his swallow, and sometimes it is tucked |
away somewhere
A crow is somewhat of an expert in |
hiding things. Ben HaSsan got piece !
OF bread the other day that he wanted |
to hide, so he zig-zagged off with his
head high, and with rather graceful |
walk for bird with legs so far apart.
until he came to stick. Then he tried
to tuck the bread under the stick, and it
would not go under far enough, SO he
pulled up a little grass and covered it
over. 1t is said to have been tested in
New York State that crows can count