THE EAVEN 



{Corvus corax) 



It is only in the wildest districts that the bold wary 

 Eaven makes his residence now. Time was, and not so many 

 years ago, when this handsome bird frequented most wooded 

 districts ; but the trees which once used to hold his nest for 

 generations are now deserted and only have historical interest 

 for the naturalist. At the present day, when almost every 

 large wild bird has been driven from the land by game 

 preserving and high farming, the Eaven's chief fastnesses are 

 on the rock-bound coasts, where his sagacity and constant 

 wariness enable him to struggle successfully against the 

 incessant war of extermination which is waged against him. 

 But even here the wantonness of the shore-shooter and the 

 greed of the egg-collector are slowly and surely working the 

 extinction of the Eaven, and as an English bird he will soon 

 be numbered no more. 



We had best follow the Eaven to the wild coasts and bare 

 mountain sides of Scotland if we wish to study his habits and 

 economy now. There he still maintains his ground, and his 

 loud croak lends life to many a desolate mountain glen. You 

 may meet with him on these heathery hillsides of the north, 

 or on the bare mountain tops, where he lives in company with 

 the blue hare and the Ptarmigan. Or lower down the valleys 

 you will often find him on the sheep pastures and in the 

 birch coppices by the burnside. But his great stronghold is 



