226 RAVLN. 



approached, with a rapid flight, the wings being 

 moved with a peculiarly short and quick stroke, 

 the voice becoming at the same time much more 

 angry and impatient ; still the parents keep out of 

 harm's way, and it is only when the young are 

 handled, and utter their shriller croak, that they 

 dash at the enemy, and pass within his reach. 

 Such is their manner at this interesting period, 

 in a district where they are occasionally molested, 

 but where man is less frequently present, they 

 fiercely defend their young, and become an easy 

 prey if they dread intrusion on their premises. 

 A specimen of a female in our collection was so 

 wary, that she could not be approached on the 

 nest, which was built on an old tree, growing 

 from the precipitous bank of a deep mountain 

 ravine, and which commanded a view of the 

 country around. Finding access impossible, stra- 

 tagem was resorted to, and a gun was fixed at 

 about thirty yards distance, pointed at and bear- 

 ing on the nest, a long string was attached to the 

 trigger, the gun was cocked, and some hours 

 after dark, the string was pulled, the result was 

 the capture of the bird alluded to. This disposi- 

 tion was very different from that of the bird 

 mentioned by White of Selborne, which allowed 

 the tree on which she sat to be cut, and " was 

 whipped down by the twigs, which brought her 

 dead to the ground."* In Ireland, their distribu- 

 tion, habits, and breeding stations, are nearly 

 similar. 



* White's Selborne. 



