Clarke courier. [volume] (Berryville, Va.) 1869-1997, 1904-12-21
THE CROWS OF INDIA
THEY ARE The ARCH VILLAINS OF
TIE BIRD WORLD


bonds Exist side by side ana rrx
T"eir Tricks of rntauity I'm COM
mon-i-sreeny For the Love OF NJ.
IL Is quite impossible for any one
who has not sojourned I'm the LAND
OF Regrets" to appreciate the impor.
tant part played by crows In the daily
NE or the Anglo-indlan. India with
out Its crows Is unthinkable: II could
only be likened TO London without Its
fogs. 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
side by side In India. the great black
BIRD known 10 Anglo-Indians ms the
corby and the smaller gray necked spe-
cies- Both birds lead lives OF aimleae
Vagabondage; both are scoundreis OF
the most pronounced type: both are
sinners beyond redemption. Did the
black crow exist alone Il would be
held up as the emblem OF all that is
evil and mischievous. AS things are. its
iniQuities pale into insignIncance be-
size those OF Its gray necked cousin.
Inc very name OF the latter bird In
sufficient TO raise the ire OF the right
eous man. To call the arch villain OF
the bird world the splendid" IL mere
mockery OF words. Jerdon, the famous
Indlan naturalist. often regrets that
such an inappropriate specific name
should have been applied to this spe-
cies. for IT tends TO bring into ridicule
among the unscienti1c the system of
nomenclature"
The Indian crow is able to utilize
most things. A Calcutta bird has
made itself famous for all time by
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. ape
their betters. The Bombay birds de-
termined not TO be outdone by the
Calcutta corvidae. Accordingly one Of
the former promptly built her nest OF
gold and silven 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 f2O. 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 wantonly tear
n leaf out OF n book lying open on
the table. Ny gardener. adds Mr.. De-
war, puts every morning fresh flowers
in the vases. This operation is per
formed on the veranda. One day the
man was called away from his work
for a couple OF minutes. During his
absence crow swooped down and sue
ceedcd IN taking a beakful OF flowers
and breaking the vase in which they
were placed. retired colonel OF my
acquaintance who lives in the Hima-
layas is n very enthusiastic gardener,
and the crows are the bane or 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 to mark where
seed have been sown
But II is I'm towns that the iniquity
OF the crows reaches its maximum.
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 ut once when person is too III
10 move The consequence is that Il
has been found necessary 20 have made
FOR all the tables wire covers which
protect articles placed at the bedside
from the ravages OF the treble dated
birds I have seen Madras crow
quietly helping itself TO the contents OF
basket which an old woman was
carrying on her head. The bird was
possessed or sufficient intelligence TO
refrain from alightlng on the basket
Had IL done 80 its presence would prob
ably have been detected. II tapped
along just above the top Of the basket,
keeping pncc with the woman. and so.
unperceived 10y her. made meal of
the contents. The knaviSh tricks OF
crows are by no means confined 10 hu.
man beings As Colonel Cunningham
truly says. Any animal pets are. OF
course. even more than inanimate OBJ
JectS. subject 10 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
secutiOn.' l once possessed grey
hound which used 10 be fed in the gar
den. \ man had TO stand over the dog
while il 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 as
It drew near would take up position
on any convenient tree. The moment
the greyhound began to eat n crow
would swoop down and peck viciously
at its tail. The dog would, OF course,
turn on the bird. and the others would
seize this opportunity 10 snatch away
some Of the fsod. The process would
be repeated until the meal was over.
Crows tease and annoy wild creatures
with the same readiness that they wor-
~ 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.