THE RAVEN. 



87 



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 teach- 

 ing, all this tribe are but too fond of. Every 

 body k nows 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 servant has been 

 accused, and every creature in the house, con- 

 scious of their own innocence, suspected each 

 other; when, to the utter surprise 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 few 

 general characters they all agree ; 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 des- 

 cribe the number that offers would be tedious, 

 and the similitude that one bears to another 

 would make the history disgusting. As a 

 historian in relating the action of some noble 

 people does not stop to give the character of 

 every private man in the army, but only of 

 such as have been distinguished by their con- 

 duct, courage, or treachery; so should the 

 historian of nature only seize upon the most 

 striking object before him ; and having given 

 one common account of the most remarkable, 

 refer the peculiarities of the rest to their 

 general description. 



CHAP. II. 



OF THE RAVEN, THE CROW, AND THEIR 



AFFINITIES. 



THE Raven , the C arrion-crow , and the R ook, 

 are birds so well known, that a long descrip- 



1 Five species of the genus Corvus ocmr in Britain: 

 the raven, the carrion-crow, the hooded- crow, the 

 rook, and the jackdaw. They are all permanently re- 

 sident. The magpie differs so much from the rest in 

 the elongation of the tail, the comparative shortness of 

 the wings, and some other circumstances, that several 

 writers have referred it to a separate genus; but the bill, 

 the feet, and the organs in general, are so similar, that 

 there would be little reason for setting it apart, were 

 there not other species having more dissimilar features. 

 Each species differs greatly in many of its habits, so 

 that I am unable, from my own observation, to arrive at 

 more general conclusions than those given above. In 

 fact, every species in existence has peculiarities both in 

 habits and structure, which render extended generic 

 characters, applicable to all the beings in an assumed 

 group, impossible. 



The raven, (see Plate XV. fig. 7.) which is the largest 

 species of the crow family, is one of the most remark- 

 able of our native birds, both on account of its habits, 

 and its historical, superstitious, and economical relations. 

 With a grave and dignified air it combines great saga- 

 city, and in courage is not much inferior even to some 

 of the rapacious birds. 



It is crafty, vigilant, and shy, so as to be with great 

 difficulty approached, unless in the breeding season, 

 when its affectionate concern for its young in a great 

 measure overcomes its habitual dislike to the proximity 

 of man, a dislike which is the result of prudence more 

 than of mere timidity, for under particular circumstances 

 it will not hesitate to make advances which a timorous 

 bird would no doubt deem extremely hazardous. Either 

 from natural instinct, or from observation and reflection, 

 it appears to know in some measure the power of its arch 

 enemy; and finding that its own faculties are insufficient 

 to enable it to counteract his destructive propensities, 

 carefully avoids coming within his reach. On the other 

 hand it eats from oft' the same carcase as a dog, and 

 takes its station close to an otter devouring its prey, 

 doubtless because its vigilance and activity suffice to 

 enable it to elude their efforts to inflict injury upon it; 

 and while it yields to the eagle, it drives away the 

 hooded crow and the gull. It knows the distance too at 

 which it is safe from a man armed with a gun, and al- 

 lows the shepherd and his dogs to come much nearer 

 than the sportsman. 



When searching for food on the ground, it generally 

 walks with a steady and measured pace, like the carrion- 

 crow, the hooded-crow, and the rook; but under excite- 

 ment it occasionally leaps, using its wings at the same 

 time, as when driven from carrion by a dog, or when 

 escaping from its fellows with a fragment of flesh or in- 

 testine. Its flight is commonly steady and rather slow, 

 and is performed by regularly-timed beats of its extended 

 wings, the neck and feet being retracted ; but it can 

 urge its speed to a great degree of rapidity, so as to 

 overtake an eagle or even a hawk, when passing near its 

 nest. In fine weather it often soars to a vast height, in 

 the manner of the birds just mentioned, and floats as it 

 were at ease high over the mountain tops. Some na- 

 turalists observing birds thus engaged, have imagined 

 them to be searching for food, and have consequently 

 amused their readers with marvellous accounts of the 

 distances at which the eagle can spy its prey ; but had 



