THE RAVEN OR CORBY CROW 



CORVUS COR AX 



FiTHEACH, BiADHTACH {Gaelic). 



" Tha flos fithich aige " = " He has raven's knowledge." 



" Thug na fithich aran ann " = " The ravens brought food." 



CoRBEAu {French) ; Rabe, Kohlkabe {Qerman). 



Of all the birds of the mountain lands, the Raven is the 

 very first to commence her nesting operations. The New 

 Year has not long arrived when she sets about repairing 

 her nest, and before February is over she is covering her 

 eggs on some wild crag, seemingly indifferent to the 

 storms of rain and snow which sweep the hills from time 

 to time. Indeed it may be said that the Raven not in- 

 frequently chooses the coldest period of the year for her 

 nesting, a fact, I think, quite remarkable, since there is 

 no apparent reason why the young Ravens should be 

 strong on the wing at a time when the majority of other 

 moorland nesting birds are only commencing to lay. 

 With the Eagle it is different — her young must remain a 

 full nine weeks in the eyrie before they are able to fly, and 

 after that time must be initiated into the secrets of captur- 

 ing their own prey before the shortening days herald the 

 approach of another winter ; but surely there is no need 

 that the Ravens should set out on their first flight before 

 the closing days of April ? For even admitting the fact 

 that they are not above making a meal off any young 

 bird they should happen to come across, young birds of 

 any description are the exception rather than the rule 

 till the closing days of May. 



The Raven has decreased almost everywhere in these 

 islands during the last fifty years. To take an instance, 



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