The Crow

The Crow is hardly an animal of extreme rarity, so not much will be said about its living habits here. It differs from the Raven in many ways; though size, social life and language are some of the most scientifically noted. The reason for it being mentioned here is its extreme significance.
If one sees a single crow, that crow is representative of the Author. Two crows are acting as scouts. Three crows are invariably up to something mischievous. Four crows have formed a lucid plan, which they are now enacting. Five crows gathered together are telling stories to one another. Six crows have located a hidden path (perhaps a ley line) and are following it. Seven crows are most likely in or causing trouble, which is probably for the sake of distracting an outsider from their secrets. Eight crows together are invoking or summoning something. Any murder of crows larger than these groups is in fact made up of smaller groups of crows in these configurations. Neither is seeing seven crows, for example, a guarantee that they are making trouble—it could be a group of two and a group of five seen in close proximity to one another. One must pay close attention to the crows’ individual behavior, and how they interact.
Another way that the crow is important is in its relationship to the dead. All a crow need do is perch upon the grave marker of the deceased, and it can know the entire life history of that person, plant or creature as if it had lived it itself. Crows have an incredibly complex social system and language. The Institute is currently developing a program to understand the language of crows, that it might document such information.