Black Spirit: The Way of the Crow

It is a pleasure to present an online copy of my book, Black Spirit: The Way of the Crow, which was published by Nimbus Publishers, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada, in 1996. Later, I published it as an eBook, under the title, The Way of the Crow, in 2007.

This online version of the book is my gift to bird lovers, nature lovers, and to people who simply enjoy a good read!

The entire book has been placed on this website. It is the eBook version, that I put together in 2007. The chapter sequence varies a bit from the hard copy version, and adds a new chapter, called "Crow Stories". Crow Stories is actually a portion of the chapter, "Living Legends: What Crows Teach Us," of the hard copy publication.

Please return often, to read and enjoy this online publication!

Also, please read the "Preliminary" section, to learn about the copying and distribution rules for this web publication.

All the best,

Laurie Lacey,
7 March 2010
 

• Preliminary Pages
  
  This section includes, Title, Dedication, Acknowledgements, Rights, etcetera....
• Introduction
  
  This is the "Introduction" section for The Way of the Crow.
• About Crows
  
  "It has been aptly stated that if a person knows only three kinds of birds one of them will be the crow."
• The Beginning
  
  "Perhaps he was trying to master the intricacies of flight, or enjoying the overwhelming feeling of wind surging past wings...."
• Living With A Crow
  
  "It was a wonderful privilege to share five years of my life with a crow, particularly one with the character of Spirit. It was especially interesting during...."
• Crow Talk
  
  "Crows are marvellous birds, and there are certain things I must tell you about crow talk or language. The reader may smile over my use of the word 'language' to describe crow vocalizations. But, if you're ever fortunate enough...."
• The Caring
  
  "Recently a friend remarked to me, "Oh, it must have been so romantic and exotic to have a crow as a pet!" Well, this is true, I suppose, after all it's certainly unusual, and does give one the opportunity to learn all kinds of things about them. However, looking after such a large bird can...."
• Crows Away: Observations on Crow Flight
  
  "I have observed the flying behaviour of crows for several years. If you are patient and dedicated in your observations, over a period of time you will learn much about their behaviour and flight patterns."
• A Troubling Experience
  
  "It is especially difficult to write about experiences that adversely affect a companion close to your heart. With each word I find myself reliving the event, as I begin to describe an assault that almost took Spirit's life."
• Contemplations in Four Parts
  
  "I normally moved Spirit to his outdoor living quarters during the first week of April. In the spring of 1992, we were hit with an April snowstorm that dropped a four inch covering of light, puffy, snow. We call it “robin snow” because the robins have...."
• A Crow's Diet
  
  "Crows are renowned for pecking through old garbage, and eating all kinds of things tossed aside by humans. Thanks to Spirit, I had the opportunity to examine more fully a crow's dietary choices. In this respect, I was careful to compile notes on Spirit's food preferences, and general eating habits."
• Crow Stories
  
  "There is little wonder that crows are very often the subjects of legends, folktales, and storytelling traditions around the world. I make those remarks in light of the life I shared with Spirit over the span of five years. He was keen of sight and hearing, and his other senses were no less acute. It is this kind of sensitivity that...."
• Crows: What They Teach Us
  
  "As a young boy I admired crows and ravens. I was rather rebellious and always favoured the underdog. At the time, I remember noting that people were always critical of them; they didn’t have a good thing to say. So, partly for that reason, I decided I loved crows. To most of my friends and neighbours, crows were simply...."
• The Closing
  
  "The winter of 1994 proceeded in the usual manner, with Spirit pecking a multitude of holes in his cardboard house, showing his usual behaviour towards the telephone, splashing vigorously in his water basin, and displaying his usual fascination with my oil painting techniques."
• Old Crow Sayings
  
  "If you see one crow, Watch it out of sight, ...."
• Endnotes
  
  The Endnotes for the reference numbers in the book.
• Bibliography
  
  A list of the reference works consulted mentioned in this publication.