Metuchen Edison History Features

Recollections of

Boyhood Days

In Old Metuchen

By

David Trumbull Marshall

Published by The Case Publishing Co., Flushing NY 1930

(Second Edition)- (c) 1930

Young Crows.

The common crow builds its nest in a tall tree in the thick woods. The nest is built of sticks and lined with bark.

A crow's nest, unlike a squirrel's nest, is open at the top. From the ground it is difficult to tell a crow's nest from a squirrel's nest.

Young crows are hatched from the eggs some time in the early spring.

Several times I have brought a nest full of young crows home from the woods and kept them until full grown. A young crow is always hungry and keeps up an incessant squawking for food whenever one comes near him. The young crow swallows pretty much everything that is put in his mouth.

I once had five young crows in a nest out at the barn. My friend Dory filled every one of them with dry whole corn. Every one died the next day.

Dry corn is not suited to a young crow.

When my crows got big enough to fly we kept them in a coop. Boys get tired of caring for pets after a time.

I always let the crows go after a while.

I never had patience to teach crows or any other pet to do tricks as some boys do.

I have heard of crows that had been taught to say some words. It was as much as ever I could do to make the crows keep quiet in their own language without teaching them another.