THE HAVEN. 95 



Predilection for money, spoons, &c. 



the satisfaction of sometimes visiting and con- 

 templating in secret. A piece of money, a tea- 

 spoon, or a ring, is always a tempting bait to his 

 avarice: these he will slily seize upon, and, if 

 not watched, will carry to his favourite hole. In. 

 proof of this assertion a gentleman's butler hav- 

 ing missed several silver spoons, and other arti- 

 cles, without being able to account for the mode 

 in which they disappeared, at last observed a 

 tame raven, that was kept about the house, with 

 one in his mouth ; and, on watching him to his 

 hiding-place, discovered there upwards of a do- 

 zen more. 



These birds are very injurious to cultivated 

 grounds, yet a sort of popular respect is paid to 

 them, from their having been the birds that fed 

 the prophet Elijah in the wilderness. This pre- 

 possession in favour of the raven is indeed of 

 very ancient date; since the Romans themselves 

 esteemed it a bird of much importance in au- 

 gury, and paid to it, from motives of fear, the 

 most profound veneration. 



Pliny informs us, that one of these birds which 

 had been kept in the Temple of Castor, flew 

 down into the shop of a taylor, who was highly 

 delighted with its visits. He taught the bird se- 

 veral tricks ; but particularly to pronounce the 

 names of the Emperor Tiberius, and the whole 

 royal family. The taylor was beginning to grow 

 rich by those who came to see this wonderful 

 raven ; till an envious neighbour, displeased at 



