Q40 THE BIRDS OF ESSEX. 



dn the neighbourhood, were observed (42) at Languard Point on June 22nd, 

 J884. 



Mr. Fitch, who has taken great interest in our Essex Ravens, writes to me : — 



" Mr. Gurney's plea for the Essex Ravens [50. i. 182] is sadly needed. I wish 

 we could enforce its protective influence. This year Mr. Harting, Mr. Belfrage 

 and myself saw the Ravens (a pair) on Osey shore on February 25th ; and on 

 JMorthey, on May 22nd, for the whole day, a pair were fighting with the 

 Kestrels and Crows that were nesting on the island. But, although seen on 

 both islands, they nested on neither. On April iSth, Mr. Miller Christy, 

 Messrs. Freeman and myself went to visit, as we hoped, the Osey nest. We 

 found the old nest lying in the ditch, where it had been seen by Mr. Christy 

 ihe year before, and Jordan (the resident on the island) told us the Ravens 

 were still there almost every day and had commenced a nest at the east end, 

 which we saw, far removed from their old quarters. This, however, they had 

 -abandoned and he told us they must be nesting this year over the water ; he be- 

 Jieved it was on my island (Northey). I found this nest, as I thought, on Brick 

 House, Mundon, — the same nest from which Newman had a young one, taken 

 last year. On my second visit, I found the tree (an elm) cut down, purposely to 

 destroy the young Ravens, but it was found their nest had not been used this year, 

 -so no harm was done, except that done to the tree ! This same day I found 

 the nest with the old bird on in a hedgerow elm between Iltney and White House 

 farms, Mundon. Upon enquiry, I found the tenant of Iltney (Mr. Isaac Granger) 

 knew of it, but wouldn't disturb the nest for the world. So here even supersti- 

 tion had its bright side. The tenant of White House (Mr. Daniel Mead) knew 

 nothing of it. I then hoped it was safe and this proved to be correct, but it is 

 the only nest I can hear of as having escaped destruction this year. 



"To return to the Osey nests — now a thing of the past 1 fear. The follow- 

 ing is the tale of the young birds that have been taken from it by the same per- 

 sons, generally on Easter Monday : — In 1882, one (the rest had flown) ; 1883, 

 four ; 1884, none (the visit was too late : the young ones had gone) ; 1885, three ; 

 1886, four ; 1887, four and three of a second brood [50. i. 142] ; 1888, four. In 

 this year there was a second brood, which was not only taken by strangers, but 

 the nest was destroyed and thrown into the ditch beneath the tree. Thus twenty- 

 three young birds have been taken in seven years, and it is fair to suppose that 

 ■\'ery few have been got off by their parents, although the second brood had only 

 lately been found out. This certainly was attempting to rear a family under 

 .serious difficulties and speaks well for the indomitable perseverance of the Raven 

 as a breeder. It shows, also, its strong attachment to locality. These young 

 •ones were not taken for sale purposes, although some of them made, and all 

 could have been disposed of at, more than Mr. Abel Chapman states. 



"He sa)'s [Bird-Life of the Borders, pp. 19-20) : — 'there are now only a few 

 spots remaining along the Borders where these fine birds are allowed to nest. With 

 young Ravens at half-a-guineaa-piece, and the insatiable — ay, insane —greed of 

 " collectors " for British-killed s^QC\mtns, it is wiser to omit names. If" natural- 

 ists " must all have Collections, why cannot they be satisfied with the beautiful 

 specimens which are so easily procurable from northern or eastern Europe, instead 

 •of hastening the extirpation of this, and other scarce indigenous birds, by placing 

 .a high premium on their heads ? ' \^er3' good indeed, but hmnarmm est errare ! 

 I had a young Osey bird which was allowed its liberty and became very tame. 

 It was passionately attached to me, and frequently flew over more than one field 

 to accompany me home. When I was indoors, it hardly ever left the window-sill of 

 the room I was in. It was a deep grief to me to lose him on the night of the 

 flood (August 1st and 2nd), but not so to some other members of the household. 



" The Fambridge Ravens were probably nesting somewhere on the Crouch, but 

 they had a rough time of it, and I cannot hear that the nest was found. In 1888, 

 Mr. William La\'er had at least ^10 worth of damage done to his ewes and lambs 

 by Ravens on Blue House farm, and when Walter King (the shepherd) found 

 them about again this spring (probably the same birds, as their presence was an- 

 nounced by a sheep being found dead with its eyes picked out), he dressed him- 

 :self in the sheep's skin and laid up against some strawed hurdles on the marsh. 



