257 



days fiiiiiieis who resided iu llie vicinaye of \ii';,'iii 

 timbered areas in the mountainous districls sulleied 

 (•(i.nsiderably from the S]).ving, argus-eyed Ravens 

 which seemed ever on the alert to pounce down from 

 some carefully choisen hidinj,' place and rob the turkey 

 (►r the chicken of her eggs or brood. Then if Iht; i)arent 

 sheei) did not keep a very close guard over tlu^ir yoaing 

 <!lTspring the omnivorous and flesh-loving Ravens 

 would attack and kill I hem; I hey also, it is aflirmed, 



were known to j)ouiice u| in at leasl two instances, 



within the recnllectifm of aged motinlaiiieers, calves, 

 hut a few days old; and on ancMliei' occasion, one of 

 my informants states tliat a band of liungry nomadic 

 Ravens attempted to make a meal of an old sow's 

 litter of pigs that were only a few days old, and so 

 Iteisistent wei-e their onslaughts that the owner of 

 the pigs was comi)elled to shoot two of the Ravens be- 

 fore ttiey would leave the place. 



WnHMJ ATTACK THK DKICR. 



I>eer enfeebled by old age or reduced from disease, 

 and also when wounded by human huntsmen, 

 rantliei's, Wiilves, Wild-cats or othei- predatory ani 

 mals which possessed sufficient courage and prowess 

 to attack them, were beset at times by Ravens which 

 would i)eck out theii' eyes and other soft jiarts, par 

 ticularly portions of the poor deer's anatomy that had 

 been oi)ened l)y a bullet or lacerated with teeth or 

 claws of some cruel carnivorous beast. 



These observations showing the 'fierce and sangui- 

 nary nature of Ravens which, with labored but quick 

 (light, and loud harsh cries, o.ver a quartei' of a centui'y 

 ago, are reputed to have brought so much misery Into 



17-n 



