not therefore to build and breed in the same place. Also she is nicely
curious. For sitting on a tree, she beholdeth and looketh all about
toward what part she will fly, and bendeth her neck all about as it
were taking avisement. But oft while she taketh avisement of flight,
ere she taketh her flight, an arrow flieth through her body, and
therefore she faileth of her purpose, as Gregory saith.

Also as Ambrose saith, in Egypt and in Syria a culvour is taught to
bear letters, and to be messager out of one province into another. For
it loveth kindly the place and the dwelling where it was first fed and
nourished. And be it never so far borne into far countries, always it
will return home again, if it be restored to freedom. And oft to such
a culvour a letter is craftily bound under the one wing, and then it
is let go. Then it flieth up into the air, and ceaseth never till it
come to the first place in which it was bred. And sometimes in the way
enemies know thereof, and let it with an arrow, and so for the letters
that it beareth, it is wounded and slain, and so it beareth no letter
without peril. For oft the letter that is so borne is cause and
occasion of the death of it.

The crow is a bird of long life, and diviners tell that she taketh
heed of spyings and awaitings, and teacheth and sheweth ways, and
warneth what shall fall. But it is full unlawful to believe, that God
sheweth His privy counsel to crows. It is said that crows rule and
lead storks, and come about them as it were in routs, and fly about
the storks and defend them, and fight against other birds and fowls
that hate storks. And take upon them the battle of other birds, upon
their own peril. And an open proof thereof is: for in that time, that
the storks pass out of the country, crows are not seen in places there
they were wont to be. And also for they come again with sore wounds,