File:Birds and nature in natural colors - being a scientific and popular treatise on four hundred birds of the United States and Canada (1913) (14752911844).jpg

Identifier: birdsnatureinnat02chic (find matches)
Title: Birds and nature in natural colors : being a scientific and popular treatise on four hundred birds of the United States and Canada
Year: 1913 (1910s)
Authors:
Subjects: Birds -- North America
Publisher: Chicago : A.W. Mumford, Publisher
Contributing Library: American Museum of Natural History Library
Digitizing Sponsor: Biodiversity Heritage Library

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enders good service. The bird isalso an efficient scavenger. But chiefly because of its destruction of beneficialwild birds and their eggs the crow must be classed as a criminal, and a reductionin its numbers in localities where it is seriously destructive is justifiable. Through the four centuries since the white man entered his domain theblack crow of America has waited vainly for some poet to sing his praise. Thecrow cannot sing for himself, though his conceit of everything but voice passesthat of all the other fowls of the air. The crow, once upon a time, as the fabletells us, learned a lesson from the fox in this voice matter, and the music lesson,resulting in the loss of a choice morsel of cheese, has left its mark on the crowsmemory until this hour. The common crow of America holds every whit of interest, of trick, ofmanner and of character that is held by his first cousin, the raven, and yet theraven holds larger place in prose and poetry than all the other birds combined. 266
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while the crow, Corzus Americanus, can count his tributes of prose and poetryupon his claws. There were three crows sat on a tree, with its few following lines descript-ive of the birds fondness for battening on horse flesh, represents about all thatthe muse has done for Corv^us. They are lasting lines, however, and give promiseof as long life as that of the bird which, if it equals the span of the ravensyears, will carry Coryus to the days of our grandchildrens grandchildren. Black as a crow has become a proverb of comparison. The man whoventures to say that the crow is not black probably will be set down at once asone who knows not the truth, but here is the statement flatly: The crow is notblack. His plumage when the sun strikes it full and fair shines with tints ofbronze and blue and purple. Light is needed to bring out brightness in all things,and the crow is not to be held responsible because the first man who saw himand dubbed him black met him on a dark day. The crow has a pri

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