THE RAVEN. 177 



bringing a grub, caterpillar, or some insect, at in- 

 tervals of less than a minute through the day, and 

 probably in the earlier part of the morning more 

 frequently ; but if we allow that they brought food 

 to the hole every minute for fourteen hours, and 

 provided for their own wants also, it will admit of 

 perhaps a thousand grubs a day for the require- 

 ments of one, and that a diminished brood ; and 

 give us some comprehension of the infinite number 

 requisite for the summer nutriment of our soft- 

 billed birds, and the great distances gone over by 

 such as have young ones, in their numerous trips 

 from hedge to tree in the hours specified, when 

 they have full broods to support. A climate of 

 moisture and temperature like ours is peculiarly 

 favourable for the production of insect food, which 

 would in some seasons be particularly injurious, 

 were we not visited by such numbers of active little 

 friends to consume it. 



The raven (corvus corax) does not build with 

 us. A pair indeed attempted to raise a brood in 

 our wych-elm ; but they love retirement and quiet, 

 and were soon scared away, and made no second 

 trial. Ravens visit us, however, frequently, and 

 always during the lambing season, watching for 

 any weak and deserted creature, which, when per- 

 ceived, is instantly deprived of its eyes ; but they 

 make no long stay in our pastures. They abide 

 nowhere in fact, but move from place to place, 



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