THE RAVEN. 



383 



and the feathers of which it is composed are whitish gray spotted with 

 l)lack. 



The true Crows are known by their beaks, which have no tooth in 

 the upper naandible, and by their wings, which are tolerably long and 

 ample. There are very many species spread over the world, and they 

 are well represented in our own country. 



The first of these birds on our list is the celebrated Raven, our finest 

 representative of the family. 



This truly handsome bird is spread over almost all portions of tlie 

 habitable globe, finding a livelihood wherever there are wide expanses 

 of uncultivated ground, and 

 being driven from its home 

 only by the advance of cul- 

 tivation and the consequent 

 inhabitance of the soil by hu- 

 man beings. It is a solitary 

 bird, living in the wildest 

 district that it can find, and 

 especially preferring those 

 that are intersected with 

 hills. In such localities 

 the Raven reigns supreme, 

 hardly the eagle himself 

 daring to contest the suprem- 

 acy with so powerful, crafty, 

 and strong-beaked a bird. 



The food of the Raven is 

 almost entirely of an animal 

 nature, and there are few 

 living things which it will not eat whenever it finds an opportunity 

 of so doing. Worms, grubs, caterpillars, and insects of all kinds 

 are swallowed by hundreds, but the diet in which it most delights is 

 dead carrion. In consequence of this taste the Raven may be found 

 rather plentifully on the Scottish sheep-feeding grounds, where the 

 flocks are of such immense size that the bird is sure to find a suffi- 

 ciency of food among the daily dead; for its wings are large and 

 powerful, and its daily range of flight is so great that many thou- 

 sands of sheep pass daily under its ken, and it is tolerably sure in the 

 course of the day to find at least one dead sheep or lamb. Sometimes 

 the Raven accelerates matters ; for if it should find an unfortunate 

 sheep lying in a ditch — a misfortune to which these animals are espe- 

 cially prone — it is sure to cause the speedy death of the poor creature 

 by repeated attacks upon its eyes. Weakly or ailing sheep are also 

 favorite subjects with the Raven, who soon puts an end to their sufl?er- 



TuE Raven {Corvus Corax). 



