380 The Raven 



During a day's travel of perhaps thirty miles about the lake I saw 

 at least a dozen individuals. Usually only one or two would be 

 seen at a time. One that kept in front of us for some distance alight- 

 ing at intervals on the posts of a barbed wire fence, carried an object 

 in its beak at which it would peck and pull whenever it perched. 

 Once just as it took wing my companion fired a shot from his re- 

 volver with a view of startling the bird and causing it to drop its 

 prey. The experiment succeeded and picking up the object we found 

 it to be a section of a rabbit's backbone about two inches in length. 



Writing of the Raven's feeding habits Alexander Wilson said: 

 "It is fond of birds' eggs, and is often observed sneaking around 

 the farm house in search of the eggs of the domestic poultry, which 

 it sucks with eagerness ; it is likewise charged with destroying young 

 ducks and chickens, and lambs, which have been weaned in a sickly 

 state. The Raven, it is said, follows the hunters of deer for the 

 purpose of falling heir to the offal ; and the huntsmen are obliged 

 to cover their game, when it is left in the woods, with their hunting 

 frocks, to protect it from this thievish connoisseur, who if he ha<i 

 an opportunity will attack the region of the kidneys, and maybe 

 the saddle without ceremony." 



Throughout all ages certain birds have been famous, and very 

 often much significance is attached to their presence. They have 

 been regarded as effecting the lives of human beings by bringing 

 joy or sorrow. Thus the Cuckoo is the ancient marriage bird ; the 

 Eagle stood for strength and vigor; the Bittern represented desola- 

 tion, and in our own country we have the Bluebird for happiness. 

 The Raven which has a wide distribution throughout 

 the world has more or less typified the coming of cal- A Bird 



amity. It has been one of the favorite birds of liter- of 



ature. In the ancient Hebrew writings, we find that Ill-Omen 

 the Raven was the first bird that Noah sent out from 

 the Ark. When Elijah was a refugee and was hiding by the brook 

 Cherith we are told that the Ravens came daily and brought him 

 food. Despite the fact that it appears to have been useful to some 

 of the early Hebrews, Moses wrote down in his law that this was 

 an unclean bird. 



Shakespeare was fond of referring to the Raven. 



In our modern American literature surely few poems so weird or de- 

 pressing has ever been written as Poe's "Raven." 



Two sub-species of the large Raven are recognized in this country. 

 One, the American Raven, found in western United States, south to 

 Guatemala, and the other, known as the Northern Raven, inhabiting 

 Canada and Eastern United States. 



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