94 FIELD-STUDIES OF RARER BIRDS 



however, recognising what a veritable gold mine is 

 afforded by the young birds, take these from the 

 nest when nearly fledged and experience no 

 difficulty in getting for them a pound apiece. 



Once upon a time " British Ravens nested 

 in trees as well as rocks, just as circumstances 

 dictated, for many a pair had their ancestral home 

 in the heart of some midland or southern village : 

 but, nowadays, very few branch-nests exist in 

 Britain, and preferably, I am sure, is the Raven a 

 frequenter of the crags. Witness the state of affairs 

 in Wales, where, although cliffs and woods alternate 

 on the sides of many of the " cwms," the former 

 are invariably patronized. 



In common with many other species, the Raven 

 is constant to one mate for life, but although the 

 same haunt is frequented the year through, the 

 same nest is by no means always used annually. 

 Sometimes there are as many as five or six eyries 

 dotted about on a wide stretch of cliff, a couple of 

 which are generally so decrepit with age as to be 

 considered past repair, while the remainder are 

 utilized in turn. Again there will be but two or 

 three nests extant, now all within from a very few 

 yards up to a hundred yards apart on the same 

 crag, now as much as a mile or even two miles 

 separating them on two distinct rock formations. 

 Exceptionally, however, the same home is used 

 year after year for an indefinite period, especially 

 in a restricted area of cliff which boasts few suitable 



