. Animal snapshots and how made . OLD WHITEWING HE sun had crossed the Une,the snow was beginning tomelt, and now and then thecall of a robin was heard. Itwas sugar time; the buck-ets were hung, and the largepans on the arch were send-ing volumes of sweet vaporinto the air until the littleslab house was almost hiddenin wreaths of white morning found the fanner folk astir with thepromise of a good sap day. From the grove ofhemlocks back of the sugar bush came the familiarCaw, caw, of the crows. They, too, had a promiseof something good, for across the meadow from thebarns came the g
. Animal snapshots and how made . OLD WHITEWING HE sun had crossed the Une,the snow was beginning tomelt, and now and then thecall of a robin was heard. Itwas sugar time; the buck-ets were hung, and the largepans on the arch were send-ing volumes of sweet vaporinto the air until the littleslab house was almost hiddenin wreaths of white morning found the fanner folk astir with thepromise of a good sap day. From the grove ofhemlocks back of the sugar bush came the familiarCaw, caw, of the crows. They, too, had a promiseof something good, for across the meadow from thebarns came the glad news that food in plenty wasawaiting them. Soon a dark speck could be seen inthe sky in the direction of the hemlock grove, then 268. Old White Wing. (Mounted) 269 Old White Wing 271 another, and still another, until a dozen or fifteenappeared, gradually taking the form of alighted on fence stakes, others on the lowerlimbs of trees, but apart from these, one perchedalone on the top of a tall tree. There being nostir about the barns, the crow on the tree top flewin a half circle a little nearer, making a close in-spection, and seeing no apparent danger, returnedto his former perch. This crow seemed to be theleader of the flock; he was larger than any of theothers, and in each wing there were several whitefeathers. This was the first time I had ever seenthis crow, but I learned later that he was not a strangerto the farmer folk, for he was known throughout theHoUow as Old White Wing. He had led manya cornfield raid, had carried off not a few chick-ens, and was a notorious destroyer of birds sighted man had counted only his crimesand had not measured the good he had done indisposing of mice, mole
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1900, bookdecade1900, booksubjectani, booksubjectbirds
