208 THE PRINCIPLES OF SELF-MASTERY
One day some wild crows became involved in a fight with an owl
in a field near the house where the pet crow lived. As soon as the pet
heard the" caw, caw, caw" of its wild relatives it flew up on top of the
house, and with signs of great agitation walked from one end of the
house to the other. Finally it took wing and flew in the direction of
the battle. I followed to see what would happen. In a few minutes I
found the pet sitting on the lower branches of a tree. Two wild crows
were on a limb just above, chattering and walking back and forth, acting
very much in the same manner that angry parents behave toward their
offspring when chastising them.
As I approached, the two wild crows flew away, one of them circling
around the tree a few times while letting out a terrible flow of the most
abusive language, which, I expect, was directed at its foolish relative who
hadn't enough sense to fly while the flying was good.
The pet was called but it paid no attention. That evening it returned
home but would not come near the house. It sat on a high limb of an
apple tree and talked in crow language for about ten minutes, saying,
no doubt, that it had decided to go back to the wild. It then flew away
and did not return until two days later, when it came back and did
some more talking in crow language, while keeping at a safe distance.
It then went away and never returned.
Social heredity had robbed me of a fine pet! The only consolation
I got from the loss of my crow was the thought that it had shown
fine sportsmanship by coming back and giving notice of its intention
to depart. Many farm hands have left the farm without going to the
trouble of this formality.
It is a well-known fact that a fox will prey upon all manner of fowl
and small animals, with the exception of the skunk. No reason need be
stated as to why Mr. Skunk enjoys immunity. A fox may tackle a skunk
once, but never twice! For this reason a skunk hide, when nailed to a