From His Grace's Journal to Mr. Bird's Account Summary

The novel opens with five entries from the Duke's journal spanning from September 30 to October 10.

On September 30, the Duke takes a morning walk on his estate. On his walk, he encounters a crow. The Duke is seized by a fear that the crow is evil and has some kind of magical power to keep him in the woods on his estate if the Duke doesn't escape quickly. The Duke hobbles away to the best of his ability.

On October 1, the Duke writes about his grooming regime. In the course of describing how he cares for his head's appearance, he describes the process of going bald. According to the Duke, he began going bald more than 30 years ago. The Duke's discussion of his baldness leads to an account of the...