RAVEN. 503 



often beguile boys, who can seldom resist the temptation. 

 The Raven never ventures to attack a man plundering its nest, 

 and rarely pretends to be crippled in order to draw him away 

 from it, but stands at a distance, looking extremely dejected, or 

 flies over and around him, uttering now and then a stifled croak 

 indicative of grief and anxiety. I have, however, on such an 

 occasion seen a Raven fly off to a considerable distance, and 

 alighting in a conspicuous place, tumble about as if mortally 

 wounded. 



When searching for food on the ground, it generally walks 

 with a steady and measured pace, like the Carrion Crow, the 

 Hooded Crow, and the Rook ; but under excitement it occa- 

 sionally leaps, using its wings at the same time, as wdien driven 

 from carrion by a dog, or when escaping from its fellows with 

 a fragment of flesh or intestine. Its flight is commonly steady 

 and rather slow, and is performed by regularly-timed beats of 

 its extended wings, the neck and feet being retracted ; but it 

 can urge its speed to a great degree of rapidity, so as to over- 

 take an Eagle or even a Hawk, when passing near its nest. In 

 fine weather it often soars to a vast height, in the manner of 

 the birds just mentioned, and floats as it were at ease high over 

 the mountain tops. Some naturalists observing birds thus en- 

 gaged, have imagined them to be searching for food, and have 

 consequently amused their readers with marvellous accounts of 

 the distances at which the Eagle can spy its prey ; but had 

 they patiently watched, they might have found that the quiet 

 soarings of the Raven and the rapacious species have no refe- 

 rence to prey. On the other hand it m.ay sometimes be observed 

 gliding along, and every now and then shifting its course, in 

 the heaviest gales, when scarcely another bird can be seen 

 abroad. Although there is not much reason for calling it " the 

 tempest -loving raven,"" it would be a severe storm indeed that 

 would keep it at home when a carcase was in view. 



Having enjoyed ample opportunities of cultivating an ac- 

 quaintance with this species in the outer Hebrides, I shall de- 

 scribe its manners as observed by me in those dreary, but to 

 the naturalist highly interesting islands. There the Raven, 

 in search of food, may be seen, either singly or in pairs, in all 



