CHAPTER XL. WINGED VERMIN. 



THE RAVEN. 



NOTWITHSTANDING the long list of what is generally 

 termed " ground vermin/' there is a second nearly as 

 lengthy, comprehending the various birds which, in contra- 

 distinction, we call " winged vermin." The first of these to 

 be noticed is the raven, and we will consider this, the 

 largest member of the Corvidae, in those respects which 

 are likely to interest the game preserver, without reference 

 to any qualities it may have as a " farmer's friend." 

 Although in closely cultivated districts the raven is not to 

 be seen, it is a well-known bird on rough moorlands, 

 becoming more frequent as the country becomes wilder 

 and less visited by mankind, though the presence of 

 sheep and cattle is to its liking. Accordingly, the bird 

 is growing scarcer every year, as the continued increase 

 of cultivation makes inroads on its natural domain. On 

 the higher portions of all our moorlands, in the mountains 

 of Wales and Ireland, and throughout the greater portion 

 of the Highlands of Scotland, where the weather mostly 

 inclines towards roughness, and is ofttimes wild in the 



