RAVENS 101 



Rare varieties are spotless, or nearly so,- or* else 

 the markings show a decided tendency towards 

 reddish-green, while it is not very abnormal for 

 an egg in any clutch to be zoned at one end. In 

 fact, eggs all of the same character in a clutch is 

 a quite unusual event, though frequently four or 

 five are very similar, the fifth or sixth, as the case 

 may be, being paler or darker. Coast Ravens 

 generally lay the finest eggs in every way, especially 

 those in the south-west, but Welsh eggs are on the 

 whole not only poorly marked, but also small 

 even for a Raven's egg some being, if longer, 

 scarcely larger than a fine Rook's or normal 

 Crow's. Indeed, I well remember once showing 

 an abnormally small " set " to a capital ornithol- 

 ogist, at the same time saying ' ' What eggs are 

 these P" ' Rooks," was his answer. I have, too, 

 seen a clutch from Yorkshire which would have 

 passed muster for Rook's eggs anywhere. Incident- 

 ally, I may add that, in point of size, Cambrian 

 Ravens are very inferior : some pairs I have seen 

 were little larger than Crows. 



The eggs are not quite constantly though the 

 event is very rare dropped on consecutive days, 

 though incubation principally the business of the 

 female generally starts with the first egg or two 

 laid, in which case its duration purely depends on 

 the number eventually produced. The first egg, 

 however, hatches in nineteen days. If the first 

 clutch is taken before it is very far gone and 



