CROW (AS. ("mire, 01114. eliraora, rho, ja, (4.r. krahe, crow, from AS. erorran, OHG. eh rajan, (;e•. k•uhrn, to crow; probably onomatopoetic in origin). A bird of the genus Corvus, the type of the family Corviffir. The crows are a widely distributed group of birds, found in nearly all parts of the world, but especially in the North ern Hemisphere. The largest species of the genus is the raven; the rook and the jackdaw of Eng land also belong In it. Crows are always more or less black, frequently wholly so, but difTer frnin each other not only in color, bat especially in size and in the amount of space at the base of the bill, which is bare of feathers. All are smaller than the raven, but are mostly more than fifteen inches in length. They are omnivorous. eating almost anything edible. and some species live largely on fish. .All are intelligent to a high degree, and many stories are current re garding their avoiding danger and communicating with each other. They are easily domesticated. Most of the species are more n• less gregarious, at least at certain seasons of the year, and frequently resort in incredible numbers to certain favorite of to roost at night.
Three speeies of crow occur in the United States, besides the two ravens. The common crow (Co•ras .lnicrican(1m) is generally dis tributed over North ..\ineriva, but is most abun dant in the East, and is apparently wanting from certain parts of the Rocky Mountain region, where ravens are common. Although it formerly had a bad reputation as it corn thief, and is kinlWil to he guilty not only of stealing corn, hut even of stealing eggs and killing birds (in cluding, poultry), yet it is now recognized as a really beneficial bird and a true friend of the farmer, bevause of the vast number of injurious insects which it destroys. It was primitively
confined mainly to the Eastern coast•belt, but has steadily progressed westward With the of civilization, as the raven has correspondingly disc ppeared.
The fish-erow ( Corcns ossif•agus) frequents the coast and the Southern rivers of the United States. (See Fusit-(loiw.) The 'jabbering' crow ((urrus Junta iernsis) of the Ithie Mountains of Jamaica is remarkable for the resemblance of its voice to human speech. which some of the other species of this genus may be taught to imitate. The smell, glossy crow of India and Ceylon (('orrns spicadens) frequents the towns, feed ing on offal. and boldly entering moms through open windows to S110.1011 -Mille morsel from the dinner-table; these birds, called hooded crows in English India, are a nuisance by their bold ness and thievish ways about camps and vil lages.
CROW (translation of the llidatsa name of the tribe absa•oka, hawk). warlike and pred atory tribe of Siouan stock, formerly roaming over the upper Yellowstone region of Wyoming and Slontana and now gathered ilium a reSPIWil lion in the latter State to the number of about 1950. They were formerly almost constantly at war with all their neighbors. particularly the Sioux, but have Uniformly remained at peace with the whites, frequently furnishing a con tingent of scouts against the hostile tribes.