512 



A HISTORY OF 



the general safety, but for that of every other 

 bird of the grove. How often have we seen 

 a fowler, stealing in upon a flock of ducks or 

 wild geese, disturbed by the alarming note 

 of a crow or a magpie: its single voice gave 

 the whole thoughtless tribe warning, and 

 taught them in good time to look to their 

 safety. 



Nor are these birds less remarkable for 

 their instincts than their capacity for instruc- 

 tion. There is an apparent cunning or arch- 

 ness in the look of the whole tribe; and I 

 have seen crows and ravens taught to fetch 

 and carry with the docility of a spaniel. In- 

 deed, it is often an exercise that, without 

 teaching, all this tribe are but too fond of. 

 Every body knows what a passion they have 

 for shining substances, and such toys as some 

 of us put a value upon. A whole family has 

 been alarmed at the loss of a ring; every ser- 

 vant has been accused, and every creature 

 in the house, conscious of their own innocence, 

 suspected each other, when, to the utter sur- 

 prise of all, it has been found in the nest of 

 a tame magpie or a jackdaw, that nobody 

 had ever thought of. 



However, as this class is very numerous, 

 it is not to be supposed that the manners are 

 alike in all. Some, such as the pigeon, are 



gentle and serviceable to man ; others are 

 noxious, capricious, and noisy. In a tew ge- 

 neral characters they all ngree; namely, in 

 having hoarse voices, slight active bodies, and 

 a facility of flight, that baffles even the bold- 

 est of the rapacious kinds in the pursuit. I 

 will begin with those birds which most pro- 

 perly may be said to belong to this class, and 

 go on till I finish with the pigeon, a harmless 

 bird, that resembles this tribe in little else 

 except their size, and that seems to be the 

 shade uniting the pie and the sparrow kind 

 into one general picture. 



It is not to be expected that in this sketch 

 of the great magazine of nature, we can stop 

 singly to contemplate every object. To de- 

 scribe the number that offers would be tedi- 

 ous, and the similitude that one bears to ano- 

 ther would make the history disgusting. As 

 a historian in relating the actions of some no- 

 ble people does not stop to give the charac- 

 ter of every private man in the army, but only 

 of such as have been distinguished by tfieir 

 conduct, courage, or treachery; so should 

 the historian of nature only seize upon the 

 most striking objects before him ; and having 

 given one common account of the most re- 

 markable, refer the peculiarities of the rest 

 to their general description. 



CHAPTER XCIX. 



OF THE RAVEN, THE CROW, AND THEIR AFFINITIES. 



THE Raven, the Carrion-crow, and the 

 Rook, are birds so well known, that a .long 

 description would but obscure our ideas of 

 them. The Raven is the largest of the three, 

 and distinguished from the rest not only by 

 his size, but by his bill being somewhat more 

 hooked than that of the rest. As for the car- 

 rion-crow and the rook, they so strongly re- 

 semble each other, both in make and size, 

 that they are not easily distinguished asunder. 

 The chief difference to be found between 

 them lies in the bill of the rook; which, by 

 being frequently thrust into the ground to 

 fetch out grubs and earth-worms, is bare of 

 feathers as far as the eyes, and appears of a 



whitish colour. It differs also in the purple 

 splendour or gloss of its feathers, which in 

 the carrion-crow are of a more dirty black. 

 Nor is it amiss to make these distinctions, 

 as the rook has but too frequently suffered 

 for its similitude to the carrion-crow; and 

 thus a harmless bird, that feeds only upon in- 

 sects and corn, has been destroyed for ano- 

 ther that feeds upon carrion, and is often de- 

 structive among young poultry. 



The manners of the raven and the carrion-' 

 crow are exactly similar; they both feed upon 

 carrion; they (ly only in pairs; and will de- 

 stroy other birds, if they can take them by 

 surprise. But it is very different with the 



