trout fishin' ravens

[SnakeFiddler]

Saw somethin' on the discovery channel this mornin' about ravens who
observed trout ice-fisherman positioning lines into a fishin' hole, only to
have them repeatedly pulled up by fish stealin' ravens.....

--
SnakeFiddler- clever fellows

[Willi]

SnakeFiddler wrote:

> Saw somethin' on the discovery channel this mornin' about ravens who
> observed trout ice-fisherman positioning lines into a fishin' hole, only to
> have them repeatedly pulled up by fish stealin' ravens.....

Ravens are clever animals. They can count and have a concept of numbers
up to 6 or 7 from what I remember.

Willi

[George Cleveland]

On Sat, 10 Jan 2004 16:14:23 -0500, "SnakeFiddler"
> wrote:

>Saw somethin' on the discovery channel this mornin' about ravens who
>observed trout ice-fisherman positioning lines into a fishin' hole, only to
>have them repeatedly pulled up by fish stealin' ravens.....
>
>--
>SnakeFiddler- clever fellows
>
>
Love those corvids! Jays, crows and ravens. My favorite birds.

g.c.

[Frank Reid]

> Saw somethin' on the discovery channel this mornin' about ravens who
> observed trout ice-fisherman positioning lines into a fishin' hole, only
to
> have them repeatedly pulled up by fish stealin' ravens.....

Musta been after they lost in the first round of the playoffs. I thought
they'd be golfin'.

--
Frank Reid
Reverse email to reply

[B J Conner]

"If men were birds, few would be smart enough to be crows"
Quote bu ??
"SnakeFiddler" > wrote in message
...
> Saw somethin' on the discovery channel this mornin' about ravens who
> observed trout ice-fisherman positioning lines into a fishin' hole, only
to
> have them repeatedly pulled up by fish stealin' ravens.....
>
> --
> SnakeFiddler- clever fellows
>
>

[SnakeFiddler]

"B J Conner" > wrote in message
...
> "If men were birds, few would be smart enough to be crows"
> Quote bu ??
> "SnakeFiddler" > wrote in message
> ...
> > Saw somethin' on the discovery channel this mornin' about ravens who
> > observed trout ice-fisherman positioning lines into a fishin' hole, only
> to
> > have them repeatedly pulled up by fish stealin' ravens.....
> >
> > --
> > SnakeFiddler- clever fellows
> >
> >
>
> B J Connor Wrote:
<"If men were birds, few would be smart enough to be crows."
>Quote BU??

The quote reads as follows and comes from the Rev. Henry Ward Beecher,
somewhere in the mid- 1800s;
"If men had wings and bore black feathers, few of them would be smart enough
to be crows."

Snakefiddler- didn't already know that- looked it up
:-)

[B J Conner]

Are there any crows left in that part of the world? I've heard the West
Nile virus got them all. We have crows, ravens and fish crows here. You
have to pracitcally kill them and run a DNA test to tell one fromt he other.
Crows are replacing some of the pigeons in town. They are much more
interesting to watch. We have a murder of crows that hang around the salt
mine, they bomb the parking lot with wallnuts.
Odin had two crows, if I think long enough I remember their names.
"SnakeFiddler" > wrote in message
...
>
> "B J Conner" > wrote in message
> ...
> > "If men were birds, few would be smart enough to be crows"
> > Quote bu ??
> > "SnakeFiddler" > wrote in message
> > ...
> > > Saw somethin' on the discovery channel this mornin' about ravens who
> > > observed trout ice-fisherman positioning lines into a fishin' hole,
only
> > to
> > > have them repeatedly pulled up by fish stealin' ravens.....
> > >
> > > --
> > > SnakeFiddler- clever fellows
> > >
> > >
> >
> > B J Connor Wrote:
> <"If men were birds, few would be smart enough to be crows."
> >Quote BU??
>
> The quote reads as follows and comes from the Rev. Henry Ward Beecher,
> somewhere in the mid- 1800s;
> "If men had wings and bore black feathers, few of them would be smart
enough
> to be crows."
>
> Snakefiddler- didn't already know that- looked it up
> :-)
>
>

[George Cleveland]

On Sun, 11 Jan 2004 18:30:31 GMT, "B J Conner" >
wrote:

>Are there any crows left in that part of the world? I've heard the West
>Nile virus got them all. We have crows, ravens and fish crows here. You
>have to pracitcally kill them and run a DNA test to tell one fromt he other.
>Crows are replacing some of the pigeons in town. They are much more
>interesting to watch. We have a murder of crows that hang around the salt
>mine, they bomb the parking lot with wallnuts.
>Odin had two crows, if I think long enough I remember their names.

"Hunin" and "Munin". "Thought" and "Memory".

g.c.

>"SnakeFiddler" > wrote in message
...
>>
>> "B J Conner" > wrote in message
>> ...
>> > "If men were birds, few would be smart enough to be crows"
>> > Quote bu ??
>> > "SnakeFiddler" > wrote in message
>> > ...
>> > > Saw somethin' on the discovery channel this mornin' about ravens who
>> > > observed trout ice-fisherman positioning lines into a fishin' hole,
>only
>> > to
>> > > have them repeatedly pulled up by fish stealin' ravens.....
>> > >
>> > > --
>> > > SnakeFiddler- clever fellows
>> > >
>> > >
>> >
>> > B J Connor Wrote:
>> <"If men were birds, few would be smart enough to be crows."
>> >Quote BU??
>>
>> The quote reads as follows and comes from the Rev. Henry Ward Beecher,
>> somewhere in the mid- 1800s;
>> "If men had wings and bore black feathers, few of them would be smart
>enough
>> to be crows."
>>
>> Snakefiddler- didn't already know that- looked it up
>> :-)
>>
>>
>
>

[rw]

B J Conner wrote:
> Are there any crows left in that part of the world? I've heard the West
> Nile virus got them all. We have crows, ravens and fish crows here.

We have crows here, right now, in the Sawtooth Mountains of central
Idaho. They're just about the only bird that hangs around through the
winter. I think they survive on roadkill. They are very wary birds,
because Idaho has a year-long open season on crows. Why anyone would
want to shoot one is totally beyond me.

--
Cut "to the chase" for my email address.

[B J Conner]

They are eaten from time to time here, but I'm not sure what the best recipe
is.

"rw" > wrote in message
m...
> B J Conner wrote:
> > Are there any crows left in that part of the world? I've heard the West
> > Nile virus got them all. We have crows, ravens and fish crows here.
>
> We have crows here, right now, in the Sawtooth Mountains of central
> Idaho. They're just about the only bird that hangs around through the
> winter. I think they survive on roadkill. They are very wary birds,
> because Idaho has a year-long open season on crows. Why anyone would
> want to shoot one is totally beyond me.
>
> --
> Cut "to the chase" for my email address.
>

[rw]

B J Conner wrote:
> They are eaten from time to time here, but I'm not sure what the best recipe
> is.

Well, since Fortenberry is currently eating crow, maybe he can supply a
recipe. :-)

--
Cut "to the chase" for my email address.

[B J Conner]

Boil one crow wit one Klondike Rose potato.
Serve with on six pack of Bud = eight course meal.
"rw" > wrote in message
m...
> B J Conner wrote:
> > They are eaten from time to time here, but I'm not sure what the best
recipe
> > is.
>
> Well, since Fortenberry is currently eating crow, maybe he can supply a
> recipe. :-)
>
> --
> Cut "to the chase" for my email address.
>

[Sandy]

B J Conner wrote:
> They are eaten from time to time here, but I'm not sure what the best
> recipe is.
>
> "rw" > wrote in message
> m...
>> B J Conner wrote:
>>> Are there any crows left in that part of the world? I've heard the
>>> West Nile virus got them all. We have crows, ravens and fish crows
>>> here.
>>
>> We have crows here, right now, in the Sawtooth Mountains of central
>> Idaho. They're just about the only bird that hangs around through the
>> winter. I think they survive on roadkill. They are very wary birds,
>> because Idaho has a year-long open season on crows. Why anyone would
>> want to shoot one is totally beyond me.
>>
>> --
>> Cut "to the chase" for my email address.

Not raven but crow.

http://bertc.com/three_crows.htm

http://www.recipecottage.com/variety-meats/crow-pie.html




--
Don`t Worry, Be Happy

Sandy
--

E-Mail:-
Website:- http://www.ftscotland.co.uk
IRC:- Sandyb in #rabble uk3.arcnet.vapor.com Port:6667
#Rabble Channel Website:- http://www.ftscotland.co.uk/rabbled
ICQ : 41266150

[Ken Fortenberry]

rw wrote:

> B J Conner wrote:
>
>> They are eaten from time to time here, but I'm not sure what the best
>> recipe
>> is.
>
>
> Well, since Fortenberry is currently eating crow, maybe he can supply a
> recipe. :-)

Yeah, yeah. As I recall, I'm not the only one who uses Netscape for both
news and email and has mistakenly posted one for the other.

But if you have to eat crow, boil it before you roast it. ;-)

--
Ken Fortenberry

[Mike Connor]

"rw" > schrieb im Newsbeitrag
m...

<SNIP>
> Why anyone would
> want to shoot one is totally beyond me.
>

http://www.euro-fly.com/French_dossier/6_plumes_diverses/e6_miscellaneous_feathers.htm

http://www.fishingmegastore.com/acatalog/Feathers.html

http://www.tacklebargains.co.uk/acatalog/copy_of_Traditional_Handmade_Floats.html

There are many other uses.

One deadly fly is,

Hook. 18 to 12
Body Crow primary quill fibre. ( Opposite side to "biots")
Hackle Metallic cock starling, or crow knuckle.

TL
MC

[Wayne Harrison]

"B J Conner" > wrote

> They are eaten from time to time here, but I'm not sure what the best
recipe
> is.

hilarious; and from such a surprising source!

you go, bj.

wayno (surely bj doesn't stand fo...uh, forget it.)

[ArnSaga]

<< (George Cleveland) >><BR><BR>
<< >Odin had two crows, if I think long enough I remember their names.

"Hunin" and "Munin". "Thought" and "Memory".

g.c. >><BR><BR>
Ravens.
Glenn
GKT

[Mike Connor]

http://www.magma.ca/~rcrowder/raven_flyfishing.htm

http://w1.859.telia.com/~u85903393/corvus_english.html

TL
MC

[Jonathan Cook]

Willi > wrote in message >...
>
> Ravens are clever animals. They can count and have a concept of numbers
> up to 6 or 7 from what I remember.

Quite a few years ago we were hangin' around the tent in a Yellowstone
campground and in an hour or two I had a raven starting to say "Hello".
Well, it was coming out "Caw-woo" or something like that. Alas, we
left the next day to somewhere else so I never got to finish. He was
around the loop we were on every day and I thought it would be cool for
the next people if he started begging by saying "hello" rather than just
being obnoxious.

Jon.
PS: Jellybeans were the "treat" I was using.

[Russell D.]

George Cleveland wrote:

>>
>
> Love those corvids! Jays, crows and ravens. My favorite birds.
>
> g.c.

In a lot of ways, mine too. And don't forget the Magpies. Most clever
animals.

Growing up we would raid crow and magpie nests for a couple of the young
birds to raise as pets. We had much better success with the crows than
the magpies. (Although, in his youth, my father raised a magpie that was
legend. Well, at least family legend. He named him Mac and managed to
teach him to say "Hello, Mac" or at least something close. Close enough
to scare the devil out of old Mac Waddell anyway. Mac Waddell was a
distant neighbor who happened to stop by for a visit one day. As he was
chatting with my grandfather, our feathered friend flew up and landed
next to Mr. Waddell and as polite as could be squawked, "Hello, Mac."
Well, as the story goes ole Mr. Waddell lit out of there and was not to
be seen at my grandfathers place for many a moon.)

Most of the magpies we raised would leave as soon as they could fly, but
one of them hung around for a couple of years and would fly up on a
window sill and beg for food. He wouldn't let us touch him but he would
take food from us.

We raised several crows, though, with great success. One in particular,
we named him Alex, was memorable. To say that Alex was a character
would be an understatement. To call him a pest would be accurate. Most
of all he was lovable.

Alex and our Border Collie, Brownie, were best of friends. At least so
thought the crow. He pestered and teased that poor dog to no end. One of
his favorite antics was to perch on the Brownies head and then pull his
ears. The dog endured it well for the most part and at times seemed to
enjoy the pesterings of his feathered friend. Sometimes this ear pulling
would evolve into a hilarious game of tag with each taking turns chasing
each other around the yard.

Alex would often follow me when I went out in the fields to work. He
would usually just sit on a fence post at one end of the field while I
worked. But if I had to stop to say, fix a broken cutting blade on the
swather, he would fly there in a moment to check out what was going on.
This is where he could be a real pest. If he wasn't watched closely he
would steal anything he could get his beak on--nuts, bolts,
tools--anything he could snatch and carry off. Fortunately, we knew he
favorite hiding place, so we were able to retrieve most of what he
stole, but he did manage to lose a few things.

Sorry this was so long, but George's comment about loving those birds
opened the memory floodgates.

Russell

[Mike Connor]

"Russell D." > schrieb im Newsbeitrag
...
<SNIP>
> Sorry this was so long, but George's comment about loving those birds
> opened the memory floodgates.
>
> Russell
>

Odd that apparently "human" characteristics in various animals generate so
much sympathy. This is rarely the case with humans themselves, at least not
with adults.

TL
MC

[Chas Wade]

rw > wrote:
>
>We have crows here, right now, in the Sawtooth Mountains of central
>Idaho. They're just about the only bird that hangs around through the
>winter. I think they survive on roadkill. They are very wary birds,
>because Idaho has a year-long open season on crows. Why anyone would
>want to shoot one is totally beyond me.
>
I remember reading once that in Mexico they value the crow over the
duck as food. It seems that there were arguements between the
governments about which bird was the pest, and which was food. We
agreed to not kill all the crows, and Mexico agreed not to kill all the
ducks.

Can anybody corroborate this?

Thanks,

Chas
remove fly fish to reply
http://home.comcast.net/~chas.wade/wsb/html/view.cgi-home.html-.html
San Juan Pictures at:
http://home.comcast.net/~chasepike/wsb/index.html

[SnakeFiddler]

"ArnSaga" > wrote in message
...
> << (George Cleveland) >><BR><BR>
> << >Odin had two crows, if I think long enough I remember their names.
>
> "Hunin" and "Munin". "Thought" and "Memory".
>
> g.c. >><BR><BR>
> Ravens.
> Glenn
> GKT

Odin's crows were named Munin and the other Hugin. According to a book I
have called The Age of Fable, they would fly over the whole world each day,
and report back to Odin all they had "seen and heard." He also had two
wolves that would lie at his feet, Geri and Freki, to whom Odin gives all
his meat "as he had no use for it."

The most entertaining experience I have had with a crow was in Chapel Hill
when I watched a fish crow dip his beak into the water of the stream that
flowed beside my home, and come up with a rather large fish in his mouth.
Great fisherman- got it first try! I watched him beat it against a rock
until it was either dead or stunned, and proceed to eat it.

Snake-

[rb608]

"bruiser" > wrote in message
> One of my birds could say his name - "Bread".


Thought you were going to say "Carl" :-)

Joe F.

[Ken Fortenberry]

Jonathan Cook wrote:
>
> Quite a few years ago we were hangin' around the tent in a Yellowstone
> ...
> PS: Jellybeans were the "treat" I was using.

It is illegal to feed the wildlife in Yellowstone National Park. And
a bad idea in general anyway. The picnic area overlooking the falls
has a resident population of ravens so adept at stealing food that
it's nigh on imposssible to have a picnic there.

--
Ken Fortenberry

[bruiser]

"Russell D." > wrote in message

(snip)

Me too, Russell. I had a couple of pet Magpies when I was a kid and lived
in Idaho Falls. After having them as pets I discovered that they are very
smart birds. One of my birds could say his name - "Bread".

bruce h

[Mike Connor]

"SnakeFiddler" > schrieb im Newsbeitrag
...
>, to whom Odin gives all
> his meat "as he had no use for it."
>

Friggin vegetarians! :)

TL
MC

[Russell D.]

bruiser wrote:
> "Russell D." > wrote in message
>
> (snip)
>
> Me too, Russell. I had a couple of pet Magpies when I was a kid and lived
> in Idaho Falls. After having them as pets I discovered that they are very
> smart birds. One of my birds could say his name - "Bread".
>

Probably cousins of mine. My Magpies were from Driggs.

Russell

[rw]

Russell D. wrote:
> bruiser wrote:
>
>> "Russell D." > wrote in message
>>
>> (snip)
>>
>> Me too, Russell. I had a couple of pet Magpies when I was a kid and
>> lived
>> in Idaho Falls. After having them as pets I discovered that they are
>> very
>> smart birds. One of my birds could say his name - "Bread".
>>
>
> Probably cousins of mine. My Magpies were from Driggs.

I just want you guys to know that according to Idaho Statute 36-701,
keeping captive magpies is perfectly legal. :-)

--
Cut "to the chase" for my email address.

[BJ Conner]

"Russell D." > wrote in message >...

< Snipped Russells story>
> George Cleveland wrote:
>
> >>
> >
> >
> Russell

Long ago and far away when I was in High School there was a pet crow
that belonged to a couple of kids. It had an pretty extensive
vocabulary, it was smart mouth but not vulgar. It would land on the
window sill ( this was 1920s early California architechure, with
windows that were opened for AC ) behing in class and say things like
"Watch the dog", "Hi sweetie", "Whens supper" etc. It could also
whistle short notes of various types. The teachers would chase it
away and it would come or go as it fancied.
It roamed around, was well known about town and didn't just follow it
owners. No one bothered it even though at the time California had a
15 cent bounty on crows.

[Jonathan Cook]

Ken Fortenberry > wrote in message m>...
>
> It is illegal to feed the wildlife in Yellowstone National Park. And
> a bad idea in general anyway.

While I'm confessing, I did feed the chipmunks at the Grand Canyon,
too. They especially liked Nutter-Butter cookies.

Ahh, I feel much much better getting that off my chest after so many
years. ROFF can be _so_ cathartic :-)

Jon. (hoping the statute of limitations is up)

OBROFF? Well, I did catch a 3" brown somewhere in YP.

[Warren]

wrote...
> We have a murder of crows that hang around the salt
> mine, they bomb the parking lot with wallnuts.
> Odin had two crows, if I think long enough I remember their names.

BJ, do you see the problem? Don't take this wrong because I enjoy
many of your posts, but the above made absolutely no sense
whatsoever. Are you trying to send messages to Osama via ROFF? If
so, please tell him that my boys are coming to get him and he will
end up like Sadaam sooner or later.
--
Warren
(use troutbum_mt (at) yahoo to reply via email)
For Conclave Info:
http://www.geocities.com/troutbum_mt3/MadisonConclave.html

[Warren]

wrote...
> We have crows here, right now, in the Sawtooth Mountains of central
> Idaho. They're just about the only bird that hangs around through the
> winter. I think they survive on roadkill. They are very wary birds,
> because Idaho has a year-long open season on crows. Why anyone would
> want to shoot one is totally beyond me.

"Prophet!," said I, "thing of evil - prophet still, if bird or devil!
By that Heaven that bends above us - by that God we both adore -
Tell this soul with sorrow laden if, within the distant Aidenn,
It shall clasp a sainted maiden whom the angels name Lenore -
Clasp a rare and radiant maiden whom the angels name Lenore."
Quoth the raven, "Nevermore."
--
Warren
(use troutbum_mt (at) yahoo to reply via email)
For Conclave Info:
http://www.geocities.com/troutbum_mt3/MadisonConclave.html

[Warren]

wrote...
> But if you have to eat crow, boil it before you roast it. ;-)

Chow down mother ****er! <G>
--
Warren
(use troutbum_mt (at) yahoo to reply via email)
For Conclave Info:
http://www.geocities.com/troutbum_mt3/MadisonConclave.html

[Warren]

wrote...
> I remember reading once that in Mexico they value the crow over the
> duck as food. It seems that there were arguements between the
> governments about which bird was the pest, and which was food. We
> agreed to not kill all the crows, and Mexico agreed not to kill all the
> ducks.
>
> Can anybody corroborate this?

I can't corroborate that, but they call those black and white birds
with the long tails (mockingbirds?) "Mexican Pheasants" up here. I
have heard that name from Colorado to Montana. Could be a play on
the same myth?
--
Warren
(use troutbum_mt (at) yahoo to reply via email)
For Conclave Info:
http://www.geocities.com/troutbum_mt3/MadisonConclave.html

[Willi]

Warren wrote:

> wrote...
>
>>I remember reading once that in Mexico they value the crow over the
>>duck as food. It seems that there were arguements between the
>>governments about which bird was the pest, and which was food. We
>>agreed to not kill all the crows, and Mexico agreed not to kill all the
>>ducks.
>>
>>Can anybody corroborate this?
>
>
> I can't corroborate that, but they call those black and white birds
> with the long tails (mockingbirds?)

Magpies

Willi

[B J Conner]

Warren I thought you were better than that. I'll explaing. I did make one
mistake the last line should be ",,,think long enough I'll ( I typed "I"
instead ) remember their names"
I had "think" and "remember" in that line as a hint to the names of Odins
ravens.
A group of crows is not a flock but a "murder". They are very clever, but
not equiped to open walnuts. Where ever they get their walnuts ( some
people must put them in their bird feeders for the crows and jays ) they
drop them from 30 or 40 up on our parking lot, they bust on the pavement,
the crow lands and eats the walnut.
Some where else I said you were a kid on a three wheeler in the Tour de
France. That was to say your not a mean or surly person at all, as least
compaired to someothers.

"Warren" > wrote in message
...
> wrote...
> > We have a murder of crows that hang around the salt
> > mine, they bomb the parking lot with wallnuts.
> > Odin had two crows, if I think long enough I remember their names.
>
> BJ, do you see the problem? Don't take this wrong because I enjoy
> many of your posts, but the above made absolutely no sense
> whatsoever. Are you trying to send messages to Osama via ROFF? If
> so, please tell him that my boys are coming to get him and he will
> end up like Sadaam sooner or later.
> --
> Warren
> (use troutbum_mt (at) yahoo to reply via email)
> For Conclave Info:
> http://www.geocities.com/troutbum_mt3/MadisonConclave.html

[Willi]

B J Conner wrote:


> A group of crows is not a flock but a "murder".

Anyone know the derivation of that?

Willi

[Wolfgang]

"Willi" > wrote in message
...
>
>
> B J Conner wrote:
>
>
> > A group of crows is not a flock but a "murder".
>
> Anyone know the derivation of that?

I do. But I'm not telling cuz you were mean to me. :(

Wolfgang
who is giving serious consideration to leaving forever.......and never
coming back, too!

[Mike Connor]

"Wolfgang" > schrieb im Newsbeitrag
...
<SNIP>
> I do. But I'm not telling cuz you were mean to me. :(
>
> Wolfgang
> who is giving serious consideration to leaving forever.......and never
> coming back, too!
>
>

Posting rules.

1. Verbs has to agree with their subjects.

2. Prepositions are not words to end sentences with.

3. And don't start a sentence with a conjunction.

4. It is wrong to ever split an infinitive.

5. Avoid cliches like the plague. (They're old hat).

6. Always avoid annoying alliteration.

7. Be more or less specific.

8. Parenthetical remarks (however relevant) are (usually)
unnecessary.

9. Also, too, never, ever use repetitive redundancies.

10. No sentence fragments. No comma splices, run-ons are bad
too.

11. Contractions aren't helpful and shouldn't be used.

12. Foreign words and phrases are not apropos.

13. Do not be redundant; do not use more words than necessary;
it's highly superfluous.

14. One should never generalize.

15. Comparisons are as bad as cliches.

16. Don't use no double negatives.

17. Eschew ampersands & abbreviations, etc.

18. One-word sentences? Eliminate.

19. Analogies in writing are like feathers on a snake.

20. The passive voice is to be ignored.

21. Eliminate commas, that are, not necessary. Parenthetical
words however should be enclosed in commas.

22. Never use a big word when a diminutive one would suffice.

23. Kill all exclamation points!!!!

24. Use words correctly, irregardless of how others use them.

25. Understatement is probably not the best way to propose
earth shattering ideas.

26. Use the apostrophe in it's proper place and omit it when
its not needed.

27. As Ralph Waldo Emerson said, "I hate quotations. Tell me
what you know."

28. If you've heard it once, you've heard it a thousand times:
resist hyperbole; not one writer in a million can use it
correctly.

29. Puns are for children, not groan readers.

30. Go around the barn at high noon to avoid colloquialisms.

31. Even if a mixed metaphor sings, it should be derailed.

32. Who needs rhetorical questions?

33. Exaggeration is a million times worse than understatement.

34. Proofread carefully to see if you any words out.

( Snitched from another board!).

TL
MC

[SnakeFiddler]

"Willi" > wrote in message
...
>
>
> B J Conner wrote:
>
>
> > A group of crows is not a flock but a "murder".
>
> Anyone know the derivation of that?
>
> Willi
>

Willi

Wrote:

>>Anyone know the derivation of that?

Maybe because of their association with dead things? Possibly a once
existing misconception that the crows themselves were responsible for the
deaths of the carrion with which they were associated?

Although it does not answer the question, there is an interesting web-site
that discusses the origins of representing groups of animals through the use
of collective nouns: http://en2.wikipedia.org/wilki/collective_noun

Snakefiddler-

[rw]

Wolfgang wrote:
> "Willi" > wrote in message
> ...
>
>>
>>B J Conner wrote:
>>
>>
>>
>>>A group of crows is not a flock but a "murder".
>>
>>Anyone know the derivation of that?
>
>
> I do. But I'm not telling cuz you were mean to me. :(

"The phrase, according to James Lipton in his An Exaltation of Larks,
dates from 1450 in the form a mursher of crowys. It was a murther of
crowes by 1476. Whether it arose because murdering was thought to be a
characteristic of crows or simply as a negative comment upon flocks of
crows is not known. The mursher form is problematic, however, as we
must wonder if it was not intended as murder but was mistakenly
interpreted as such."

http://www.takeourword.com/TOW173/page2.html

--
Cut "to the chase" for my email address.