508 CORVUS CORAX. 



can account for the phenomenon by their sight, it is unneces- 

 sary to have recourse to their other faculties. 



The Raven sometimes nestles at no great distance from the 

 Eagle, in which case these birds do not molest each other ; but 

 in general the former is a determined enemy to the latter, and 

 may often be seen harassing it. ^' What a brave soldier the 

 raven is ! he fights the eagle who is four times his size,'' I re- 

 member hearing an old highlander say to me more than twenty 

 years ago. But let us consider the matter. 



There goes the White-tailed Eagle I Launched from the 

 rock of Liuir she advances along the cliffs on her way to the 

 inland hills, where she expects to find a supply of food for her 

 young. Now she is opposite the promontory of Ui, w^hence, 

 croaking in fierce anger, rush two ravens. The eagle seems 

 not to heed them ; but they rapidly gain upon her, and, sepa- 

 rating as they come up in her wake, one ascends, the other 

 glides beneath, menacing her, and attempting to peck at her. 

 While she regards the one below, that above plunges towards 

 her, but perceiving that she is ready to meet him, he reascends 

 a few feet, the other in the meantime threatening vengeance 

 below. I never observed however that they actually came in 

 contact w^ith the object of their pursuit, which seemed to re- 

 gard them as more disagreeable than dangerous, and appeared 

 to hurry on merely to avoid being pestered by them. 



The shepherds and farmers, so far from molesting the ravens, 

 are pleased when a pair of them breed on their ground, because 

 they help to keep off the eagles ; and I was once seriously re- 

 primanded by one for shooting a raven on his grounds in the 

 breeding season. In general, they keenly j)ursue all intruders 

 that seem in any way formidable, while on the other hand they 

 allow the Cormorant, the Rock Pigeon, and the Black Guille- 

 mot, to nestle in their immediate vicinity. I have seen pigeons'* 

 nests within thirty yards of a raven's, and although the raven 

 might with impunity carry off the eggs or young of these birds, 

 I have no reason to believe that it ever does. 



The voice of the Raven is a hoarse croak, resembling the 

 syllable Crock or Cruck ; but it also emits a note not unlike the 

 sound of a sudden gulp, or the syllable Cluck^ which it seems 



