EAVENS 105 



I possess one reliable record of an infuriate Raven 

 killing " at one fell swoop " a Kestrel which had 

 foolishly dared, once too often, to " let the wheels 

 of its chariot tarry." Were the Raven a trifle more 

 agile, deaths would be frequent, but most of its 

 assailants and would-be victims being enabled to 

 turn the quicker, usually save themselves from 

 perdition, since the cigfr art's (the Raven's Welsh 

 name, meaning " meat crow ") attack is meant for 

 no brutum fulmen, or idle caution to trespassers. 



The young, when first hatched, are singularly 

 helpless and ugly-looking creatures. For eight 

 days they are blind, and until their true plumage 

 appears, they are pink-skinned, tufted here and 

 there with pale greyish down. Even at their 

 tenderest age the bill is very pronounced and not 

 beautiful. They remain in the nest for fully six 

 weeks, and on first quitting it are very clumsy on 

 the wing ; and for some time after this event they 

 stay with their zealous parents, who teach them to 

 cater for themselves before finally driving them away. 

 For the first few days after quitting their birth- 

 place they may be approached very closely as they 

 sit on the rocks, and on such occasions their 

 parents' antics are full of interest. Now they try 

 to entice them out of harm's way as they flop about 

 within the easiest of shots ; now, failing in such 

 kindly endeavours, they literally drive them further 

 afield. 



Despite its large size, a Raven's eyrie on cliffs 



