The Birmingham age-herald., 1907-04-21
CROWS SEEM TO REASON LOGICALLY The Farm Pest Object of Inter-
 eSting Study SOME GOOD GROW STORIES Family Discipline Is Malntained-The Crew Has Stations in the South.
 He Roosts In Mississippi
 River Island.
SOME GOOD CROW STORIES
From the PhIladelphla Publle Ledger.

Ihere are some crow stories which have a strong bearing on the question whether, or not the birds and beasts of the field and forest have reasoning powers. Crow
 stories are selected for the purpose of | this article simply because crows are bet ter known than most birds, and any one who lives in the country or on the out skirts of oity can make observations for himself as to whether these birds are as bright and intelligent as they are said
 to be. The crows and their near rela- tives, the rocks magpies, etc., are the wittiest of the birds.
 It is a matter of record that on the outbreak of an epidemic, like cholera. birds leave the fated town. This has been observed in St. Petersburg, Riga Han over, Galicia, the ities of Prussia and in southern Germany. Students are in doubt as to why the birds flee, but 1t is believed that poison in the air alarms them. Some say this is caused by '4nstinctive fright and others by Intelligent fear"
 Tell Cane From a Gun.
 For time out of mind farmers have tried to devise scarecrow that will effectually serve its purpose of keeping the birds out of the newly planted cornheld At times pair of trousers and a coat Tapping on cross stick Is sufficient to protect small field, but where crows are numer- ous leaders always appear among the birds who brave the very ends of the waving garments. To save the hill seeds where brave crows raid cunning schemes must be resorted to- A "cobweb' of White string over a field, pieces of look ing glass whirling on sticks and strips of paper hanging on fences will generally 1righten them, and dead crow hung by the heels is warning that Is generally needed. Yet man walking across field is allowed to approach very close to feeding flock, unless the sentinel in the treetop or on Q fence post catches sight of gun. Curiously enough, a mere cane does not alarm the crows It as claimed by farmers that "crows smell gunpowder." However that may be, they do detect gun in mans hands and
 know very well the range of rifles in communities where rifles are the common weapons. In places where shotguns are
 used exclusively in shooting them the crow will permit one to approach much nearer.
 Crow Arthmetlclans
 In Germany, where crows are exceed ingly destructive to pheasant eggs, the expedient of sending man to guard the birds nests was tried. The crows re- fused to come near his hiding place, no matter how long he remained. Then 'ft was found that the keepers must go to cover in parties of six or more and then depart one by one," leaving man be- hind to take vengeance. If less num- Der than six went to the cover and one ura C IAff hAl .i..1 tance. evidently having counted the party
 going and coming. A farmer in Maine tried similar stratagen, and found that Maine crows count to three, but four or more confused them. Curiously enough, M. A. Walton, the naturalist ("HermitO, arrived at the conclusion that crows un- der his observation could count three. Three appears to be the limit of crow counting in America.
 Crows fear men and are quick to take advantage of the alarm created by men in other birds. A party of naturalists who visited Lake Okechobee Fla, daily passed heron and water turkey nests which were close to the river bank. Crows were numerous in the vicinity, and as soon as the approach of the boats drove the herons and water turkeys from their nests the crows jumped in and ate eggs and young birds fast as possible. The robbed birds were too good fighters for crows to drive them from their nests, and only their being driven from their nests through fear of the men enabled the crows to get to the eggs.
 Napoeonc Strategy
 The crows are not without eXpedients of their own Pairs of them have often been seen hunting together A character istic maneuver Is for two of them to at tack a large bird on its nest When one sg. ,,.1 -AI. t,,v., ,,, the eggs or young ones. So large a bird as the Brazilian eagle (Mexican buzzard) is thus victimized. one bird making the assault while the other stands on q near by branch ready to bounce upon the eggs.
 Crows are omnivorous, but at times stress of weather drives them to feats unusual even for them. When snow or sleet covers the ground unexpectedly in the south flocks of the birds attack rab- bits and other small game and kill them. They even assail, chickens. They appear to know that blinded rabbit is much easier to kill, so they attack the eyes first. They also attack the eyes of lambs. The crows mob their victims, unlike hawks and owls, which hunt alone.
 Most birds cannot carry anything which their mouths are to small to con tain. The crow Is an exception at times. In Vermont. near Manchester five crows were seen to come down into an apple orchard They came daily, and after time the owner discovered that they were tanlng apples from a tree bearing the mellowest fruit. Each crow jammed it's closed bill into an apple. raised it's head and flew to tall pine tree, where the fruit was eaten. More remarkable still is the fact that crows will sometimes carry turkey and hen eggs from nest in tn same manner.
 Crows's Way of Opening Clans.
 The crows that live along the seashore live on sea food" At times they show a gulLs dexterity in picking eatabes from the tossing water with their bills. Their ingenuity, however, is taxed by the hard shells of clams which they can neither pry into nor break with their bills. Like some gulls, the bright crow will seize a clam and fly to a great height and drop it on a ledge of rock. That breaks the shell and the crow gets the meat. Near Vancouver. B. C., the crow rides around on, ha hac of inc in,