RAVEN. 535 
you from some decaying carcass. To my own observation the Raven is a 
bird very early astir in the morning; and I have heard his unmistakable 
croak long after darkness had wrapped the hills in gloom, and caught a 
hurried glimpse of his sable form as he slowly flapped along to his retreat 
‘amongst the hills.’ 
The Raven, from its predaccous habits, is a bird hunted down without 
mercy by the gamekeeper and the shepherd ; and, in fact, in some places 
taxes have been imposed for its destruction, as, for instance, in the Faroe 
Islands, It is omnivorous, and will take almost every thing in its power. 
Like the Hawks, it catches small birds and quadrupeds, kills a weakly lamb 
or fawn, and carries off the eggs of poultry and game should it happen to 
discover them; and it will never refuse to make a meal on carrion of 
any kind. Most animal substances are eaten—every creature which the 
sea casts up on the beach, from a dead whale to a mollusk ; and it may 
sometimes be seen searching the pastures for moles, worms, and even 
insects. In autumn the Raven will also feed largely on grain, a habit 
noticeable in several other of its congeners. The Raven congregates in 
flocks—not because the bird is at all sociable or gregarious in its dis- 
position, but from a common impulse to congregate where food is abun- 
- dant. Macgillivray mentions a flock of Ravens that congregated on 
one of the islands in the sound of Harris, to feed upon a large herd of 
grampuses that had been driven on shore; whilst on another occasion, 
where a whale had been stranded, the birds flocked in numbers to the 
feast. In Finmark I have generally seen it in flocks, even during the 
breeding-season. According to Bogdanow, the Raven in Kazan will some- 
times feed on fish; and that naturalist states that he has often watched the 
bird fishing and also capturing frogs. It will also eat fruit in the season. » 
The Raven’s breeding-season, in many instances, is said to commence 
early in January. By the latter end of that month or early in February 
the old birds may be noticed patching up their nest—to which they re- 
turn yearly, for they undoubtedly pair for life. The eggs, however, are 
seldom laid before March. The nesting-site varies according to the 
locality which the birds frequent. In some districts a lofty tree is selected ; 
and this was probably the bird’s favourite choice when it was commoner 
in England; but now the incessant persecution to which it is subject 
almost everywhere drives it to the remoter wilds of Scotland and the 
cliffs which skirt the ocean. In the province of Kazan Bogdanow states 
that the Raven breeds in towns on the towers and the roofs of store- 
houses, and that in Kazan itself a pair of birds breed annually on one of 
the water-pipes of the theatre. On the sea-cliffs, especially in the west of 
Scotland and the Hebrides, the Raven still breeds pretty frequently. 
Dixon thus describes a nest of this bird he visited in Skye :—*I had the 
opportunity of inspecting a Raven’s nest today. It was built on some 
