RAVEN. 71 



even now, as we learn from Olafsen and Povelsen, the Ice- 

 landers entertain superstitious notions regarding the Raven 

 they believe tlu's bird to be not only acquainted with 

 what is going on at a distance, but also what is to happen 

 in future." Iceland is said to have been originally stocked 

 with Ravens from the Faroe Islands. Shakspeare alludes 

 to our superstitions about the Raven in King Henry VI., 

 Othello, and Macbeth. 



The various qualities and powers of voice exhibited by 

 birds in general, and the diversity of structure found to 

 exist in the windpipes or tracheae of different species in 

 some particular families, have justly excited the attention 

 and remarks of several writers. Descriptions and illustra- 

 tions of the peculiarities of these parts in some of those 

 species most remarkable for their deviation from the com- 

 mon form will be found in the fourth, twelfth, fifteenth, 

 and sixteenth volumes of the Transactions of the Linnean 

 Society of London. 



Among British Birds, the power of imitating the sounds 

 of the human voice is possessed in the greatest perfection 

 by the Raven, the Magpie, the Jay, and the Starling. In 

 proof of this power in the Raven, many anecdotes might 

 be repeated : the two following, derived from unquestion- 

 able authorities, are perhaps less known than many others : 

 " Ravens have been taught to articulate short sentences 

 as distinctly as any Parrot. One, belonging to Mr. Hen- 

 slow, of St. Alban's, speaks so distinctly, that when we 

 first heard it, we were actually deceived in thinking it was 

 a human voice: and there is another at Chatham which has 

 made equal proficiency ; for, living within the vicinity of a 

 guard-house, it has more than once turned out the guard, 

 who thought they were called by the sentinel on duty." 

 Fauna Boreali-Americana. Swainson and Richardson, 

 Part II. page 290, note. 



