The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1907-05-05

4 RAsTIMB on FARMBR BOFs A.
THIS SEASON.

The plrds InterestIng and AReatiehAte
Pets, Tnsnsh 10 Ne Possessed fer 0niy
a RlnKie suEanaer Have q Sense q
Homer aDd Are Fun 81 Hiischaeg.
! JA,rEsrovN. N. T., May t.-Tsmlng an4
| training young crows 10 ono OF the apofG
| Of The farm boys, and this IL the season
vhen the lads start on their annual scout~
| Ing expedition Tor Grove nests. II IL neo-
leaearv to have the nests located before
| the traas iare Ieaved, because after . tree
| tor a once screened with foliage one might
a. well hunt for q needle In q haymow a.
to hunt for q crows nest.
The boy who contemplates the capture
| Of a young crow should wait patiently Tor
the birds TO reach the proper size. nyou
are too hasty you win have difficulty IN
, raising the young orow. and at BEST viii
have Q bird with poor plumags. II on tbs
other hand you wait too long. you VIII
have difficulty In training the CROW.
The right time is just as the young birds
begin 70 learn to fly. Taken then they
win thrive and become NJ tame a anec-
tionate as a young puppy and their piutnage
will shine like an ebon mirror.
One doesn't have to invest in any en-.
pensiye food TO keep a healthy crow In
condition. The black rogues are the big"
Rest Rluttons In the bird kingdom. They
viii eat anything from mince pie 70 bob
veal, and they win eat ali the timeh they
nave the opportunity.
Az soon as Mr.. Crow is fully grown he
begins to cut up. II he isn't teasing the
pct cat he is stealing something. No small
trinket IL safe within his reach.
Ills worth while to see a farm boy try
tn catch the crow when the bird has eloPed
with a ~favorite jack knife. With q piece
OF meat held t~emptingly in his fingers the
boy endeayors to induce the bird to re-
IinquIsh his hold on the knife.
The crow, on mis- part. II hungry, finds "
difficult to resist the temptation, but be-
fore reaching for the tempting moreel
he takes a firm clutch on the stolen prop
erty with his claws and stretches his neck
FOR the meat. II HI reaches 1t he gulps
IL down and lodges the eager hand reac III
for his prize.
sDrat you'll cries the boy as he bangles
another morsel before the crow.
sG-u-r-r-h.' replies the bird as, WITH
dextero US flap of his wings he evades the
bows clutch by a hairs breadth and seize
the meat In his beak..
Sometimes the chase is continued for
half an hour before the crow, wearied OF
the sport, releases his hold on the stolen
property. Sometimes he gets away al
together and sometimes he let's go as soon
as discovered. 1t all depends on the cir
cumstances, the crow and the boy.
Sometimes crows find sport in the hen
yard. A full grown active crow can, drive
the stateliest rooster in the flock into a
frenzy with his mischief.
He will perch himself on q fence oorper
and just as the rooster reaches q choice
grub there is q hoarse cav, a fash o. black
and the grub disappears with a gurgle down
the crows throat. h rooster squawks
and ruffies his feathers and struts a bit, but
the crow perched just out OF his reach looks
innocent and INDECENT and repeats bis trick
until he Is tired Of the fun,
Possibly the next trick will be on some
,passerby, for the average tame crow seems
10 find as much sport in tricklng humans
favorite performance of one crow that
was kept I'D Kaybob way last summer
was to camp alongside the public road.
When q pedestrian passed he would sud
mans hat. Then he would perch himself
on a fence stake and chatter In crow Ian
guage,
Another fayorite trick OF this crow was
slyly to nip the tail Of the pet cat.
With all their m~ischievous p~ropensities
tame crows are exceedingly afectionate.
They learn to know their master and will
follow him about as faithfully as a dog.
The little hngbirds make life q burdan
for a tame crow when he IL away from
home. OF course q crow can thrash halt n
dozen kingbirds II he can meet them faoe
to face, but the little things are 80 much
more active on the wing that the crow
hasn't a ghost of a show In the air. His only
manner OF escaping punishment 10 to perch
on q fence stake n wait until some man
comes along and drives them way
The tame crow puts in q busy and oon-
tented summer on the farm. When autumn
comes he loses much OF his ~sprightly man
ner. You will see him listening in a pensivo,
preoocupied sort OF way to the racket Of the
crows that are holding a convention over
in the wood lot.
Something is stirring him to leave the
pleasures and profits OF civilization and to
seek the society Of his kind. and though he IL
on the back porch immediately after break
fast waiting to gobble up the scraps thrown
to him. he doesn't seem to show the
enthusiasm he displayed throughout the
summer y some fine morning he will he
gone, and that is the last Of the summers
pet.