240 CORVID^. 



with awe by the ignorant even at the jjresent time. In 

 Scandinavian mythology it was an important actor ; and 

 all readers of Shakespeare must be familiar with passages 



THE RAVEN. 



wl'.ich prove it to have been regarded as a bird of dire 

 omen. 



" The sad presaging Raven tolls 

 The sick man's passport in her hollow beak, 

 And in the shadow of the silent night 

 Doth shake contagii)n from her sable wing." 



Marloioe. 



In the judgment of others, its friendly mission to the Tish- 

 bite invested it with a sanctity which preserved it from 

 molestation. 



