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Thus, it will be found upon examination, that in most 

 cases where there is a raven's portion, and a raven to 

 take it, there is more advantage to what remains in its 

 being so taken, than if it were left. We might easily 

 go over the whole list of these Corcidte, of which the 

 habits are known with any degree of certainty, and 

 show in a similar manner that, in a natural point of 

 view, and even in reference to man's artificial modes 

 of culture, they all do good, and not evil ; but the 

 limits within which we must confine this part of the 

 subject, forbid us from saying any more, however in- 

 teresting it might be to follow up the details. We 

 shall, therefore, only farther mention the leading cha- 

 racters of a few of the principal species, taking those 

 first which are best known in our own country, and 

 commencing with the more powerful ones. 



Connts corax (the raven) is the largest and most 

 powerful of all the species, measuring fully two feet 

 in length, at least four feet in the stretch of the wings, 

 and having the tail very firmly feathered, and equal 

 in length to half the body. The plumage over the 

 whole body is black, but glossed with blue reflections, 

 which in certain lights give a very peculiar colour, 

 which is known by the name of raven-grey ; and in 

 the extreme north the tint is apt to become paler 

 than it is in warmer climates, and sometimes occasions 

 the description of the bird as two species, whereas all 

 over the world it appears to be the same, without any 

 thing that can be regarded even as a variety. 



The raven lives in the wilds rather than in the 

 woods, though it nestles in the latter, and builds at a 

 very considerable elevation ; and even on the ground, 

 when it does not find other places which are better 

 suited to its habits. When it has a proper choice, 

 however, it prefers the ledges and clefts of rocks, not 

 so high up. or in general in so exposed situations as 

 those in which the eagle builds her eyrie, but rather 

 on the margin of the cultivated grounds, or at all 

 events in places where the vicinity affords plenty of 

 food for it and iis brood, which are very clamorous 

 for their meals, and very voracious in the devouring 

 of them. The gape of a young raven is very ample. 

 The nest is funned externally of sticks, and lined with 

 various matter?, such as wool or hair. The eggs vary 

 in number, rarely exceeding five, and being very often 

 not more than two. They are of a sort of oil-green 

 colour, with some markings of brownish ash. Ravens 



are very attentive to their young and the old ones, 

 which are understood to pair for life, that is, while both 

 live for no birds remain in widowhood, but pair 

 again (if they can) when the season conies round are 

 very much attached to each other ; they are never far 

 apart, and if danger overtakes the one the other gene- 

 rally makes its appearance, and is not slow at giving 

 assistance. The wariness of the raven makes it very 

 rarely a prey to the stoop of the eagle, or the stroke of 

 the more powerful falcons ; and, at close quarters, these 

 are not more than a match for the raven, if, indeed, 

 they are as much. In some cases which have come 

 within the knowledge of the writer of this article, a 

 trained falcon (a peregrine, not a jer) has struck at and 

 clutched a raven, but the raven so returned the clutch 

 that, if assistance had not been given, the falcon would 

 never have struck another bird ; for, between the two, 

 it appeared to be very equally " claw for claw," as the 

 saying is, and it is doubtful whether, if human aid had 

 not come to the falcon, the two would not have been 

 found dead together. 



In former times ravens were by no means rare birds, 

 in many, indeed in most parts of the British islands, 

 and in various parts of the country, there was an alle- 

 gorical saying, " every rock has its raven," but they 

 are now comparatively rare in England and in the 

 south of Scotland, though there are some in even the 

 eastern parts of the highlands, and more in the west 

 highlands and the isles, where, in consequence of the 

 greater abundance of humidity, and the consequent 

 superiority of growth and abundance of life, they are 

 by no means rare. From the first ridges of secondary 

 hills at the south side of the base of the Grampians, 

 there is, indeed, no want of ravens in most of the waste 

 places, except in the more bleak and uninteresting 

 moors, where there are no spots within many miles 

 properly adapted for being their nesting places. In 

 that part of the country they seldom if ever build in 

 trees, because the principal woods there consist of 

 pines, in which there is not much game suitable for 

 the raven. But in the high and rugged rocks, espe- 

 cially when they have a southerly exposure, and 

 copses and rich patches of land at the base, they are 

 never wanting. In ravens' weather, that is, when the 

 sky lowers and portends storms, or after the storm 

 has just passed, they may be seen upon the more open 

 parts of the woods, sitting on a dark mass of stone 

 and eyeing the desolation around them with keen and 

 cautious glance ; and they sometimes vault up to a 

 considerable height, and scan the wide and wild land- 

 scape from the top of the sky. They are not the most 

 abundant of the crow tribe which we meet with in 

 these lonely places, and they are not so social or so 

 lively in their manners as most of the others ; neither 

 do they, in all probability, commit so many depreda- 

 tions on the nests and young of those birds which 

 breed in the heaths and upland morasses as some of 

 the others. But when you pass near those rocky 

 places which are their favourite haunts and hiding 

 places, it so happens that though you do not always 

 see the raven, the raven always sees yon; and he will 

 steal along, by the side of your route, in the tractless 

 desert for many miles, though when you get a sight of 

 him, he appears always to be leaving you, and hop- 

 ping away to a place in which he himself may be safe. 

 This is done most readily and habitually when there 

 is no sun, and the whole scene wears the dusky hue of 

 the raven. And, though he appears to be always on 

 the retreat, if you sit down vou will soon find him 



