SCARECROW

A 'scarecrow' is a device (traditionally a mannequin) that is used to discourage birds such as crows from disturbing crops. Not only do crows feed on recently cast seed, they also gather nightly, starting with groups of a half dozen which then unite to form a group of 20 to 30 and so on until the flock is quite large and noisy. It is their habit to return to the same place each night.

Contents

History

Other names for scarecrows

Scarecrows in fiction

References

See also

External links

Bibliography

History

In the Japanese mythology compiled in ''Kojiki'' in 712, a scarecrow appears as a deity, Kuebiko, who cannot walk, but knows everything of the world.
The 1881 ''Household Cyclopedia'' gives the following advice:
:''Machinery of various kinds, such as wind-mills in miniature, horse rattles, etc., to be put in motion by the wind, are often employed to frighten crows; but with all of these they soon become familiar, when they cease to be of any use whatever.''
:''The most effectual method of banishing them from a field, as far as experience goes, is to combine with one or other of the scarecrows in vogue the frequent use of the musket. Nothing strikes such terror into these sagacious animals as the sight of a fowling-piece and the explosion of gun powder, which they have known so often to be fatal to their race.''
:''Such is their dread of a fowling-piece, that if one is placed upon a dyke or other eminence, it will for a long time prevent them from alighting on the adjacent grounds. Many persons now, however, believe that crows like most other birds, do more good by destroying insects and worms, etc., than harm by eating grain.''
Crows can be a problem in Spring gardens. They can work down a row pulling up recently sprouted corn to eat the remaining seed/seedlings. In the southern Appalachians another common method of scaring off crows was use of a dead crow hung upside down from a pole.
Modern scarecrows seldom take a human shape. On California farmland, highly reflective aluminized PET film ribbons are tied to the plants to create shimmers from the sun. Another approach are automatic noise guns powered with propane gas.

Other names for scarecrows

In the United Kingdom, where the use of scarecrows as a protector of crops dates from time immemorial, and where dialects were rife, there are a wide range of alternative names such as:

★ 'Mommet' (Somerset)

★ 'Murmet' (Devon)

★ 'Hodmedod' (Berkshire)

★ 'Tattie bogle' ^[1](Scotland)

★ 'Bwbach' (Wales)
'', the player can practice swordsplay on scarecrows. The skull kid in this game also resembles a scarecrow.

★ In '', a scarecrow makes an appearance and teaches the player a new song on the ocarina.

★ In the 1719 novel ''Robinson Crusoe'', by Daniel Defoe, the main character attempts to keep birds from eating his newly sowed corn stalks. As a discouragement, he shoots several of the birds and then hangs them in rows, such as English prisoners. The remaining birds are so frightened that they refuse to even remain in the area. While not the modern idea of a scarecrow, Crusoe does remark, "...I could never see a bird near the place as long as my scarecrows hung there." (Crusoe is generally thought of as the first English novel and it is possible that the word "scarecrow" is derived from this moment of scary crows scaring crows.)

★ In a children's story, Kelson the Scarecrow saves Robbie Noel's cornfield by scaring away 1000 crows in one night.

★ in the television series ''The Boondocks'', a deleted scene featured Uncle Ruckus showing Robert Freeman, a "ScareNigga", a scarecorow wearing a Ku Klux Klan robe & hood. showing more of Uncle Ruckus's self-hating racism.

★ In the television program ''Family Guy'', Peter's Jewish friend Mort keeps mooching off him and Peter decides to fend off Mort with a "ScareJew", a scarecrow that looks like Adolf Hitler.

★ In the children's series ''Goosebumps'' Scarecrows live due to a magical spell in the story The Scarecrow Walks at Midnight

★ In an episode of ''Supernatural'', an apple farm is the home to a man-eating scarecrow brought to life by an ancient pagan god of crops by the ancestors of the townspeople. They continue to trick people into entering the garden to appease the evil spirit to give them prosperity.

★ In the Doctor Who episodes "Human Nature" and "The Family of Blood", scarecrows are created by the Family, moving like living creatures by way of "molecular fringe animation". They are used as foot soldiers and for kidnapping people, whom the Family can then possess.

★ British band Pink Floyd recorded a song called "The Scarecrow" for their debut album, ''The Piper at the Gates of Dawn''.

References

1. Warrack, Alexander (1982). "Chambers Scots Dictionary". Chambers. ISBN 0-550-11801-2.

See also

★ Bird scarer

★ Klopotec

★ Kostroma (tradition)

★ Henohenomoheji

External links

★ British history of the scarecrow

★ Photo of a crow trap in Australia

Bibliography

''Scarecrow Fact and Fable'', Peter Haining, 1986