Food of the Raven 223 



I could never, save once, detect a single trace, 1 and of the 

 pellets examined not above ten per cent, contained any bird 

 remains, at any season, while they were always most frequent 

 in winter. Grouse feathers were naturally the most prevalent, 

 since that was the most likely bird to be found dead, or 

 wounded, about the moors : immature Starlings were almost 

 the only other bird identified, and occurred most often in 

 autumn (? from the capture of young birds, when crossing 

 the moors, or from the picking up of the remains of hawks' 

 meals), once or twice a few feathers of duck, or sea-fowl, 

 were noticed, and twice the skull of a small finch. During 

 summer, numbers of beetle wing-cases were nearly always 

 present ; and that no fewer than thirty-one of the pellets, 

 details of which are given below, picked up in the depth of 

 winter, when beetles are largely hidden from view, should 

 have contained such remains, seems to point to those insects 

 forming a more favourite food of Ravens than might have 

 been suspected. Those who, like the writer, have kept 

 tame Magpies, or Jackdaws, which were allowed to fly 

 about, will, however, recollect the eagerness with which 

 these birds are always ready to follow their owner when 

 stones are being turned over, to snatch up any beetle that 

 may be discovered beneath them, and will readily appreciate 

 the kindred taste. 



Below is given a detailed result of an analysis of 433 

 separate pellets collected at random from amongst a mass of 

 those lying beneath a roosting place of Ravens, near Llanu- 

 wchllyn, and brought home for inspection during the last 

 days of December. 



Fifty-one were composed of wool only, or wool mixed 

 with other obvious remains of sheep ; 119 contained wool 

 mixed with bones, hair, and other substances not apparently 

 belonging to sheep ; 28 contained hair and remains of 

 cattle ; i, hair, probably of a dog ; 37, remains of rabbit ; 

 48, remains of rat ; 49, or perhaps more, remains of mice, 

 or voles, chiefly the latter ; 54, moles ; 3, shrews ; i, the 



1 Possibly this may, to some extent, be owing to the calcium in the shells 

 being set free by the action of the gastric juices, a point which could no doubt 

 be settled by experiment. 



