156 BIRDS IN LEGEND 



regions, in striking contrast to their near relatives the 

 crows, rooks, choughs, magpies, jackdaws, and various 

 related species in the Old World, which thrive and grow 

 tame in the company of civilized humanity. Few pairs 

 of ravens remain in the United States east of the Rocky 

 Mountains, except on the wilder parts of the Maine coast 

 and about Lake Superior. 



Readers of Charles Dickens's novels will recall the imp- 

 ish specimen "Grip" that Barnaby Rudge used to carry 

 about with him, and which became his fellow-prisoner in 

 jail — and served him right, for he was always declaring 

 "I'm a devil!" 



This raven was modelled after an actual pet, named 

 "Grip," in the family of the novelist when he was writ- 

 ing Barnaby Rudge in 184 1. It died in July of that year, 

 and its body passed into the possession of Dr. R. T. Judd, 

 an English collector of Dickens' material. In 1922 this 

 collection, including the stuffed skin of Grip, and its 

 former cage, labelled with its owner's name, was offered 

 for sale at the Anderson Galleries in New York. It ap- 

 pears from accompanying letters that as the novel was 

 originally written it contained no reference to the bird; 

 but before the manuscript was completed it occurred to 

 Mr. Dickens that he could make good use of the mis- 

 chievous creature in the story, as is revealed in a letter 

 to George Cattermole, dated January 28, 1841. 



The raven may not only be tamed to the point of 

 domestication, but will learn to speak a few words. Gold- 

 smith asserted, apparently from experience, that it not 

 only would speak but could "sing like a man." Like all 

 its thievish tribe it loves to pick up and hide objects that 

 attract its quick eye, especially if they are bright, like 

 a silver spoon or a bit of jewelry; and this acquisitive 



