. Cassell's natural history. Animals; Animal behavior. TH^TVRAh BISTQRY. woman " sits frying her cakes under the lonely " jiandal" of her cadjan hut, and over her, with head inclined, taking a bird's-eye view of her cookery, sits the " caca ;'' and now the "appah" (Anglice, " hopper ") is done, lifted from the pan, and laid on the little circular basket ready for a customer. With a grunt of satisfaction the aged crone surveys her handiwork, and drops her spoon to feel for her beloved betel-pouch. A tiresome little bit of areca nut has got into a corner,
. Cassell's natural history. Animals; Animal behavior. TH^TVRAh BISTQRY. woman " sits frying her cakes under the lonely " jiandal" of her cadjan hut, and over her, with head inclined, taking a bird's-eye view of her cookery, sits the " caca ;'' and now the "appah" (Anglice, " hopper ") is done, lifted from the pan, and laid on the little circular basket ready for a customer. With a grunt of satisfaction the aged crone surveys her handiwork, and drops her spoon to feel for her beloved betel-pouch. A tiresome little bit of areca nut has got into a corner, and the old dame bends over it, unmindful of her charge. A dark figure drops from the roof, and though she is instantly on the alert, and aims an ineffectual blow at the thief, the nice white " appah " is borne off. Sometimes, however, the robber has but a poor hold on it, and drops it on the red cabook road. Down pounce a host of Crows that have been looking on from many a tree, and a scuffle ensues; but anxious at least to cheat them of their booty, if not to retain the damaged article for her own eating, the old woman liun-ies to the rescue. But this makes matters worse ; the castle is defenceless, and unseen foes drop down from beam and rafter or fly in through open doors. The rice- basket is invaded, the chilli-box overturned, the dried fish stolen, and lucky is the dame if the crash of most of her little store oi crockery and glass, swept to the ground and scattered in shining fragments, does not hastily recall her to her hut.' " This account is by no means overdi-awn, for to the natives of tiie bazaars the Crow is an utter pest. I question, however,whether his absence from the towns would not in the end lead to much harm, for he is a most useful scavenger, and clears the streets and back premises of eveiything thrown out from the houses, which would otherwise speedily decomi^ose in the rays of the tropical sun. Not- withstanding its utter disregard for the
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1800, bookdecade1890, booksubjecta, booksubjectanimals
