Clarke courier. [volume] (Berryville, Va.) 1869-1997, 1904-12-14
THE CROWS OF INDIA
THEY ARE The ARCH VILLAINS OF
THE BIRD WORLD

Nv" species of the Feath-red ya~.
so-a. Esist side by side and ply
'ne'r Tricks OF fnfauity n. Conn
@en-h"rceny For the Low. of NJ.
II Is quite impossible for any one
VINO has not soJourned I'm the Land
OF Regrets" TO appreciate the impor-
tant part played by crows in the daiIv
ne or the Anglo-IndIan. India with
out its crows Is unthinkable: IL could
only be hkened to London without i;s
logs Wherever human beings have
their abodes there are multitudes OF
corvidae TO be found. for the Indian
crow Is an inseparable appendage OF
/ town and village. Two species exist
size by side In India. the great black
oiro known TO Anglo-Indlans as the
coroy and the smaller gray necked spe-
Cies- Both birds lead lives OF ainless
vagabondage; both are scoundrels OF
the most pronounced type: both are
sinners beyond redemption. Did the
uiack crow exist alone II would be
heid up as the emblem OF all that is
eVh ana mischievous. AS things are. its
iniquities pale into inslgnlfcanee be-
side those OF it's gray necked cousin
The very name OF the latter bird "a
sufficient TO raise the Ire OF the right
eous nan. To cali the arch villain OF
the bird world 1.-The splendid" Is mere
mockery OF words. Jerdon. the lannon's
indian naturalist. often regrets that
such an inappropriate specific name
should have been applied TO this spe-
cies, for II tends to bring into ridicule
among the unscientific the system OF
nomenclature"
The Indian crow is able to utilize
most things. a Calcutta bird has
made itself famous for all time bv
constructing a nest OF the wires used
TO secure the corks OF soda water bot
ties. Bombay is very Jealous OF Cal
cutta, and the crows, OF course. aDe
their betters. The Bombay birds de
termined not to be outlone bv the
Calcutta corvidae. Accordingly one OF
the former promptly built her nest Of
gold and siiven spectacle frames stol-
en- from Messrs. Lawrence & Mayo's
factory. The value OF the materials
used In the construction OF this nest
was estimated at 900 But crows will
appropriate things for which they can
have no possible use. They commit
larceny for the love OF the thing. The
Indian crow is the incarnate spirit Of
mischief. The bird will wantonlv tear
n Leaf out OF a book lying open on
the table. My gardener. adds Mr.. De
war. puts every morning fresh flowers
in the vases This operation is per
formed on the vcranda One day the
man was called away from his work
for couple OF minutes. During his
absence crow swoOpcd down and sue
ceeded in taking n beakful OF flowers
and breaking the vase fin which they
were placed. \ retired colonel OF my
acquaintance who lives In the Hima-
layas Is very enthusiastic gardener.
and the crows are the bane OF his life
They root up his choicest seedlings.
sever the heads OF his most superb
flowers from the stalk and fly away
with the little pieces OF paper which
he places I'm cleft sticks 70 mark where
seed have been sown
But II is in towns that the iniqulty
OF the crows reaches its maximum.
The Madras corvidae are a byword
throughout the length and breadth OF
India. The hospital IS their favorite
playground. They are never SO happy
as when annoying the inmates. They
know at once when person is too III
10 move. The consequence is that *
has been found necessary 70 have MADE
for all the tables wire covers which
protect articles placed at the bedside
from the rnvageS OF the treble dated
birds" I have seen n Madras crow
quietly helping itself to the contents Of
a basket which an old woman was
carrying on her head The bird was
possessed OF sufficient intelligence to
refrain from alighting on the basket
Had IL done so its presence would prob
ably have been detected. Ii tapped
along just above the top Of the basket
keeping pace with the woman. and So.
unperceived 10y her made a meal or
the contents. The knaviSh tricks OF
crows are by no means confined 10 HUI
man beings. As Colonel Cunningham
truly says. ANY animal pets are. Of
course. even moro than inanimate oh
jects. subject 20 their attentions. and
unless in wholly inaccessible places are
constantly liable 10 have their food
purloined and their lives rendered a
burden 10y persistent and ingenious per
secuton." once possessed a grey
hound which used 10 be fed in the gar
den. A man had 10 stand Over the dog
while II was feeding; otherwise the
crows would devour the greater portion
OF the meal Their plan of campaign
was simple and effective. They soon
learned the dogs feeding hour and rs
II drew near would take mp a position
on any convenient tree. The moment
the greyhound began 10 eat a crow
would swOOp down and peck viciousiy
ut its tail. The dog would. of course.
turn on the bird. and the others would
seize this opportunity TO snatch away
some OF the food. The process would
be repeated until the meal was over.
Crows tease and annoy wild creatures
with the same readiness that they wor-
ry domestic animals They mob every
strange bird i'm much the same way as
the London street arab makes fun OF
any person in unusual attire.-LOng-
mans Magazine