The Project Gutenberg EBook of Blacky the Crow, by Thornton W. Burgess

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Title: Blacky the Crow

Author: Thornton W. Burgess

Release Date: January, 2004 [EBook #4979]
Posting Date: March 24, 2009

Language: English

Character set encoding: ASCII

*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK BLACKY THE CROW ***

Produced by Kent Fielden

BLACKY THE CROW

By Thornton W. Burgess

CHAPTER I: Blacky The Crow Makes A Discovery

Blacky the Crow is always watching for things not intended for his sharp
eyes. The result is that he gets into no end of trouble which he could
avoid. In this respect he is just like his cousin, Sammy Jay. Between
them they see a great deal with which they have no business and which it
would be better for them not to see.

Now Blacky the Crow finds it no easy matter to pick up a living when
snow covers the Green Meadows and the Green Forest, and ice binds the
Big River and the Smiling Pool. He has to use his sharp eyes for all
they are worth in order to find enough to fill his stomach, and he will
eat anything in the way of food that he can swallow. Often he travels
long distances looking for food, but at night he always comes back to
the same place in the Green Forest, to sleep in company with others of
his family.

Blacky dearly loves company, particularly at night, and about the time
jolly, round, red Mr. Sun is beginning to think about his bed behind
the Purple Hills, you will find Blacky heading for a certain part of
the Green Forest where he knows he will have neighbors of his own kind.
Peter Rabbit says that it is because Blacky's conscience troubles him
so that he doesn't dare sleep alone, but Happy Jack Squirrel says that
Blacky hasn't any conscience. You can believe just which you please,
though I suspect that neither of them really knows.

As I have said, Blacky is quite a traveler at this time of year, and
sometimes his search for food takes him to out-of-the-way places. One
day toward the very last of winter, the notion entered his black head
that he would have a look in a certain lonesome corner of the Green
Forest where once upon a time Redtail the Hawk had lived. Blacky knew
well enough that Redtail wa