Scarecrow 28494 225135895 2008-07-12T01:54:49Z Timurite 7326591 sorry, your link is not good wor wikipedia; see [[WP:RS]] {{citations missing|date=July 2008}} [[Image:Kakashi2.jpg|thumb|250px|right|Scarecrows in a [[rice]] [[Paddy field|paddy]] in [[Japan]]]] {{alternateuses}} A '''scarecrow''' is a device, traditionally a human figure dressed in old clothes, or [[mannequin]], that is used to discourage [[bird]]s such as [[crow]]s from disturbing crops.<ref name="Shorter OED">Lesley Brown (ed.). (2007). "Shorter Oxford English Dictionary on Historical Principles". 6th ed. Oxford: Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-19-9233243. </ref> 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. ==History== [[Image:Scarecrow1.jpg|thumb|250px|right|Unsuccessful scarecrow]] 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|Household Cyclopedia of General Information]]'' gives the following advice: {{quote|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 corn cob pipe 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.|Henry Hartshorne|''[[Household Cyclopedia|The Household Cyclopedia of General Information]] <ref name="Hartshorne">Hartshorne, Henry. (1881). "The Household Cyclopedia of General Information". New York: Thomas Kelly. </ref>''}} Crows can be a substantial problem for gardens in the springtime: 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 (biaxially oriented)|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== [[Image:ScarecrowKoreanFolkVillage.jpg|thumb|250px|right|Korean 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''' <ref name="Alexander">Warrack, Alexander (1982). "Chambers Scots Dictionary". Chambers. ISBN 0-550-11801-2.</ref>([[Scotland]]), '''Bodach-rocais''' (lit. "old man of the rooks") * '''Bwbach''' ([[Wales]]) == Cultural impact == The impact of the scarecrow extends beyond its immediate utilitarian function. Scarecrows feature in literature and in festivals. 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.) [[Nathaniel Hawthorne]]'s short story ''[[Feathertop]]'' is about a scarecrow created and brought to life in seventeenth century [[Salem, Massachusetts]] by a witch in league with the devil. He is intended to be used for sinister purposes and at first believes himself to be human, but develops human feelings and deliberately cuts his own life short when he realizes what he really is. The basic framework of the story was used by American dramatist [[Percy MacKaye]] in his 1908 play ''[[The Scarecrow (play)|The Scarecrow]]''. Scarecrow is a fictional character created by the Australian author, [[Matthew Reilly (writer)|Matthew Reilly]] - "Scarecrow" is the callsign of Captain [[Shane Schofield|Shane M. Schofield]] who appears in ''[[Ice Station]]'', ''[[Area 7 (novel)|Area 7]]'', ''[[Scarecrow (novel)|Scarecrow]]'' and ''[[Hell Island (novella)|Hell Island]]''. [[L. Frank Baum]]'s tale ''[[The Wonderful Wizard of Oz]]'', has a scarecrow as one of the main [[protagonist]]s. [[Scarecrow (Oz)|The Scarecrow of Oz]] was searching for [[brain]]s from the Great Wizard. In the 1939 film ''[[The Wizard of Oz (1939 film)|The Wizard of Oz]]'' The Scarecrow of Oz was portrayed by [[Ray Bolger]]. In the 1914 film ''[[His Majesty, the Scarecrow of Oz]]'' the Scarecrow of Oz was portrayed by Frank Moore. [[Worzel Gummidge]], a scarecrow who came to life in a friendly form, first appeared in series of novels by [[Barbara Euphan Todd]] in the 1930s, and later in a popular [[television]] adaptation. In the '''[[Comic book]]''' genre, [[Scarecrow (comics)|The Scarecrow]] is a character in the [[DC Comics]] universe. He is a classic [[Batman]] villain. Similar characters, known as [[Scarecrow (Marvel Comics)|Scarecrow]] and [[Straw Man (comics)|Straw Man]], appear in the [[Marvel Comics]] universe. In '''music''', British band [[Pink Floyd]] recorded a song called "[[The Scarecrow (Pink Floyd song)|The Scarecrow]]" for their debut album, ''[[The Piper at the Gates of Dawn]]'', while [[Southern hip hop|Southern]] [[horrorcore]] rapper [[Boondox]]'s stage act incorporates scarecrow imagery. ===Scarecrow Festivals=== In the UK, the festival at [[Wray, Lancashire]] was established in the early 1990s and continues to the present day. In the village of [[Orton, Eden]], scarecrows are displayed each year, often using topical themes such as a [[Dalek]] exterminating a [[Wind turbine]] to represent local opposition to a wind farm. [[Norland, West Yorkshire]] has a festival. [[Tetford]] and [[Salmonby]] jointly host one. == References == <div class="references-medium" style="-moz-column-count:1; column-count:1;"><references/></div> ==See also== {{wiktionarypar|scarecrow}} *[[Bird scarer]] *[[Klopotec]] *[[Kostroma (tradition)]] *[[Henohenomoheji]] ==External links== *[http://www.scarecrowland.co.uk/history.html British history of the scarecrow] *[http://libapp.sl.nsw.gov.au/cgi-bin/spydus/ENQ/PM/FULL1?394494,I Photo of a crow trap in Australia] * [http://quitehuman.wordpress.com/2007/10/01/fred-the-scarecrow/ A typical English scarecrow made of discarded clothing] ==Bibliography== ''Scarecrow Fact and Fable'', [[Peter Haining]], 1986 [[Category:Bird pest control]] [[de:Vogelscheuche]] [[es:Espantapájaros]] [[eo:Birdotimigilo]] [[fa:مترسک]] [[fr:Épouvantail]] [[gd:Bodach-ròcais]] [[it:Spaventapasseri]] [[he:דחליל]] [[nl:Vogelverschrikker]] [[nds-nl:Aarteschuw]] [[ja:かかし]] [[pl:Strach na wróble]] [[pt:Espantalho]] [[sq:Dordoleci i arave]] [[sl:Ptičje strašilo]] [[sr:Страшило]] [[fi:Linnunpelätin]] [[sv:Fågelskrämma]] [[tl:Alay-ay]] [[th:หุ่นไล่กา]] [[tr:Korkuluk]] [[zh:稻草人]]