266 NATURAL HISTORY IN ANECDOTE. 



waiting-women, (a very young girl) was accused of the theft. 

 Having solemnly denied the fact, she was put to the torture, 

 which was then a plaisir at Florence. Unable to support 

 its terrible infliction, she acknowledged that 'she was guilty,' 

 and, without further trial, was hung. Shortly after, Florence 

 was visited by a tremendous storm; a thunder-bolt fell on 

 the figure of Justice, and split the scales, one of which fell 

 to the earth, and with it fell the ruins of a magpie's nest, 

 containing the pearl necklace. Those scales are still the 

 haunts of birds, and I never saw them hovering round them, 

 without thinking of those 'good old times,' when innocent 

 women could be first tortured, and then hung on suspicion." 

 The The Raven is a large bird, indeed the largest 



BaveiL o f the British crows, attaining to a length of two 

 feet two inches, and having a stretch of wing of four feet eight 

 inches, in width. It is an historic bird, being mentioned 

 by Pliny who records that a tame one kept in the Temple 

 of Castor, was taught by a tailor whom it used to visit, to 

 pronounce the name of the Emperor Tiberias and of the 

 other members of the Royal family. The fame of the bird 

 brought the tailor riches, but excited the jealousy of his 

 neighbours, one of whom killed the bird. The record states 

 that the offender was punished and the bird accorded a mag- 

 nificent funeral. The Raven builds its nest in high trees and 

 among inaccessible and precipitous rocks, especially in the 

 Hebrides, and lives on carrion, not disdaining fruit and grain. 

 Like many other birds who afterwards show little concern 

 for their young the Raven is assiduous in its attentions during 

 the period of incubation. The following is from White's 

 " Natural History of Selborne " : 



" In the centre of a grove near Selborne, there stood an 

 oak, which though shapely and tall on the whole, bulged out 

 into a large excrescence near the middle of the stem. On 

 the tree a pair of ravens had fixed their residence for such 

 a series of years, that the oak was distinguished by the name 



