WANDERERS. 261 



intelligence, and regarded him as a bird of evil 

 omen. This to a certain extent is not a matter 

 of wonder, for he is one of nature's scavengers, 

 and where he thinks his services are required 

 there he will be. He may now be considered as 

 practically banished from England; though he would 

 come again if folks would let him, but they will 

 not ; he is outlawed, and a price put on his head. 

 In past times, when people threw objectionable 

 matter into the streets, he, with the kites to help 

 him, cleared all up. I have seen ducks and pigs 

 doing the same thing: these creatures once did 

 nearly all our sanitary work, so far as the streets 

 were concerned ; but it did not keep the cholera 

 from the place. It came, and the ravens came in 

 advance of it ; but why they did so remains a mys- 

 tery that could never be accounted for by those of 

 us who escaped that horrible visitation. It is not 

 the least use trying to account for everything in 

 the matter-of-fact- manner in which things are 

 usually disposed of at the present time. I have 

 thought it all over, but to no purpose ; I know 

 only that when the scourge left the place the ravens 

 were seen there no more. 



