76 SOME BIRDS OF THE CANARY ISLANDS 



to mind our presence at all. "That?" he seemed to 

 say, screwing his head on one side and looking down 

 into the nest, " Oh ! that's an old nest, been there as 

 long as I can remember, that's nothing to do with 

 us," and he lolloped a little further along the branch 

 and hitched up one foot, as though to dismiss all 

 possibility of argument, finally drawing in his head 

 and giving one or two little flicks with the tips of 

 his wings, so as to ensure for himself the acme of 

 comfort. 



I hate doubting anyone's word, and unless the 

 Raven were a consummate actor, it seemed useless 

 to pursue investigations further ; but with the business- 

 like training which had for so many years been instilled 

 into my mind, I felt it my duty not to leave the spot 

 until I had found out for myself whether the nest were 

 untenanted or the reverse. Accordingly I threw a 

 stone up at the nest, with the result that four or five 

 gaping beaks at once showed themselves, making a 

 horribly immature croaking noise ; they then dropped 

 down, one by one, into the nest and were silent. El 

 Cuervo was in a great rage ; to think that, after all 

 his training, his family should have been caught by 

 a trick like that ; and in his anger he ruffled up his 

 feathers, and dug his strong beak many times into the 

 pine branch, splintering bits of bark off at each dig, 

 while the gorge resounded with the hollow sounds. 



I took several photographs from the rock opposite 

 the nest in this way, though they were not very suc- 

 cessful ones, and each time the young birds showed 

 themselves the Raven went through this extraordinary 

 performance, until at last, as though he could contain him- 



