CROWS. 131 



food, carrying it either to their young or to a spot 

 where they can devour it without interruption. 

 I once saw a Goshawk carrying what I sup- 

 posed to be a Grouse ; this was evidently dead, 

 and sticking out behind the bird, gave it a very 

 curious appearance. Three or four Corbies were 

 high in the air, making from every quarter re- 

 peated attacks on the Goshawk, and endeavouring 

 to rob him of his prey. At length one of them 

 was just striking the noble bird, when, relaxing 

 his hold, the dead creature, whatever it might be, 

 fell straight for the earth. The Hawk dived after 

 it with a rapidity perfectly astonishing, and, I 

 think, before it had descended thirty fathoms, 

 struck his talons into it, and bore it safely away 

 from among his angry assailants. 



" Nor is this enmity with the Corbie confined 

 to the feathered tribes : sundry of our quadru- 

 peds live in constant warfare with the ill-con- 

 ditioned fowl. If you see a Corbie hovering and 

 screaming over a linn or athwart the face of a 

 rock, you may be sure that some animal has at- 

 tracted his attention. Perhaps a fox is basking 

 on a sunny slope; or the wild cat, cautiously 

 seeking a safe footing whence to spring on some 

 unwary bird that has its nest among the cliffs ; or 

 perhaps the supple weasel, sporting about, or 

 examining every cranny to find a safe retreat : I 

 have seen the Corbie vexing each of these. The 

 fox will sometimes stretch up his neck and snap 

 at his assailant, when he has made a sudden dive, 

 but the bird eludes the danger, and continues his 

 persecution as before. 



" The Corbie, thus feared by some creatures, 

 hated by others, and most, especially detested by 



