OF VICTORIA. 197 



again at pleasure. "The Messrs. Oheriton, who re- 

 side at Mossgiel, New South Wales, have a pet raven and 

 a magpie. The raven would eat till it had enough, and then 

 swallow more, retire, and disgorge it in some hiding-place. 

 If, while it was hiding the food, the magpie was seen to be 

 watching, it would immediately re-swallow it and go to 

 some other place. It was noticed to do this when 

 tlie magpie was in close attendance, and as the bird 

 could find nowheie else to go, it retired under the 

 dress of a lady and deposited the food there. On another 

 day a flock of ravens were being invited to sup from 

 a poisoned carcass. Having a secret watch put upon them, 

 one or two swallowed pieces, and were noticed to quickly 

 disgorge the strychnined morsels as if they knew something 

 was amiss. Whether from taste, intuition, or previous 

 experience they did this I cannot say." If the Raven is 

 saprophytic it is also predaceous to a most useful extent, 

 for it considerably reduces the cicadas (so-called locusts), 

 and thereby lessens their now well-known ravages at the 

 roots of fruit trees. Both Crow and Raven (as we term 

 our once so-called crows) give chase to the " seventeen-year- 

 old insects," and having captured one while on the wing 

 the bird settles upon a tree, holds it in one set of claws, 

 sucks the juices from the trunk of the animal, and then 

 drops it to the ground, still alive. This manner of living 

 goes on at different parts of the colony during the spring 

 season, and perhaps later. After a bush fire they feed very 

 largely on insects, half-roasted quail, Ac. In writing of 

 the nesting of the Crow, Mr. Cameron sends me the 

 following note from the interior of New South Wales : — 

 " I found a nest of a raven in September, 1896, containing 

 four young birds. It was on the ground, and at least two 

 hundred yards from any timber. The nest was built just 



