December 30.
The crows now and of late frequent the large trees by the river, especially swamp white oak, and the snow beneath is strewn with bits of bark and moss and with acorns. They are foraging.
Under the first swamp white oak in Hubbard's great meadow I see a little snap-turtle on its back on the ice -- shell, legs, and tail perfect, but head pulled off, and most of the inwards with it by the same hole (where the neck was). What is left smells quite fresh, and this head must have been torn off to-day -- or within a day or two.
I see two crows on the next swamp white oak westward, and I can scarcely doubt that they did it.
H. D. Thoreau, Journal, December 30, 1860
Crows foraging. See December 27, 1853 ("The crows come nearer to the houses, alight on trees by the roadside, apparently being put to it for food"); December 28, 1859 ("Crows come near the houses. These are among the signs of cold weather");January 11, 1861(" Horace Mann brings me the contents of a crow's stomach in alcohol. It was killed in the village within a day or two.") See also A Book of the Seasons, by Henry Thoreau, the American Crow
Dec. 30. Sunday.
I saw the crows a week ago perched on the swamp white oaks over the road just beyond Wood's Bridge, and many acorns and bits of bark and moss, evidently dropped or knocked off by them, lay on the snow beneath.
One sat within twenty feet over my head with what looked like a piece of acorn in his bill.
To-day I see that they have carried these same white oak acoms, cups and all, to the ash tree by the river side, some thirty rods southeast, and dropped them there.
Perhaps they find some grubs in the acorns, when they do not find meat.
The crows now and of late frequent thus the large trees by the river, especially swamp white oak, and the snow beneath is strewn with bits of bark and moss and with acorns (commonly worthless).
They are foraging.
Under the first swamp white oak in Hubbard's great meadow ( Cyanean ) I see a little snap-turtle ( shell some one and a quarter inches in diameter — on his second year, then ) on its back on the ice — shell, legs, and tail perfect, but head pulled off, and most of the inwards with it by the same hole ( where the neck was ).
What is left smells quite fresh, and this head must have been torn off to-day or within a day or two.
I see two crows on the next swamp white oak westward, and I can scarcely doubt that they did it.
Probably one found the young turtle at an open and springy place in the meadow, or by the river, where they are constantly preying, and flew with it to this tree.
Yet it is possible ( ? ) that it was frozen to death when they found it.
I also saw under the oak where the crows were one of those large brown cocoons of the Attacus Cecropia, which no doubt they had torn off.
Eben Conant's sons tell me that there has been a turtle dove associating with their tame doves and feeding in the yard from time to time for a fortnight past. They saw it to-day.
The traveller Burton says that the word Doab, “ which two streams, has no English equivalent. ” ( “ Lake Regions of Central Africa, ” page 72. )
Dec. 30. Sunday.
I saw the crows a week ago perched on the swamp white oaks over the road just beyond Wood's Bridge, and many acorns and bits of bark and moss, evidently dropped or knocked off by them, lay on the snow beneath.
One sat within twenty feet over my head with what looked like a piece of acorn in his bill.
To-day I see that they have carried these same white oak acoms, cups and all, to the ash tree by the river side, some thirty rods southeast, and dropped them there.
Perhaps they find some grubs in the acorns, when they do not find meat.
The crows now and of late frequent thus the large trees by the river, especially swamp white oak, and the snow beneath is strewn with bits of bark and moss and with acorns (commonly worthless).
They are foraging.
Under the first swamp white oak in Hubbard's great meadow ( Cyanean ) I see a little snap-turtle ( shell some one and a quarter inches in diameter — on his second year, then ) on its back on the ice — shell, legs, and tail perfect, but head pulled off, and most of the inwards with it by the same hole ( where the neck was ).
What is left smells quite fresh, and this head must have been torn off to-day or within a day or two.
I see two crows on the next swamp white oak westward, and I can scarcely doubt that they did it.
Probably one found the young turtle at an open and springy place in the meadow, or by the river, where they are constantly preying, and flew with it to this tree.
Yet it is possible ( ? ) that it was frozen to death when they found it.
I also saw under the oak where the crows were one of those large brown cocoons of the Attacus Cecropia, which no doubt they had torn off.
Eben Conant's sons tell me that there has been a turtle dove associating with their tame doves and feeding in the yard from time to time for a fortnight past. They saw it to-day.
The traveller Burton says that the word Doab, “ which two streams, has no English equivalent. ” ( “ Lake Regions of Central Africa, ” page 72. )
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