532 BRITISH BIRDS. 



CORVUS CORAX. 

 EAVEN. 



(PLATE 16.) 



COITUS corvus, Briss. Orn. ii. p. 8 (1760). 



COITUS corax, Linn. Syst. Nat. i. p. 155 (1766) ; et auctorum plurimorum 



Temminck, Naumann, Gray, Schlegel, Salvadori, Gould, Dresser, Sharpe, &c. 

 Corvus maxiuius, Scop. Ann. I. Hist. Nat. p. 34 (1769). 

 COITUS carnivorus, Bartr. Trav. E. Florida, p. 290 (1793). 

 COITUS leucophseus, Vieitt. N. Diet. cTHist. Nat. viii. p. 27 (1817). 

 Corvus major, Vieill. N. Diet. d'Hist. Nat. viii. p. 27 (1817). 

 Corvus leucomelas, Wagler, Syst. Av., Corvus no. 4 (1827). 

 Corvus cacalotl, Wagler, Isis, 1831, p. 527. 

 Corvus nobilis, Gould, Proc. Zool. Soc. 1837, p. 79. 

 Corvus vociferus, Cabot, Bost. Journ. Nat. Sci. 1844, iv. p. 464. 

 Corvus lugubris, Agass. Proc. Bost. Soc. Nat. Hist. 1846, ii. p. 188. 

 Corvus tibetanus, Hodgs. Ann. Nat. Hist. 1849, iii. p. 203. 

 Corvus ferroensis, Schl. Bijdr. Dierk. Amsterd. folio, art. Corvus, 1858, p. 6. 



The Raven, once so famous in fable, and held by the ancients in 

 such respect as a bird of destiny, is now rapidly becoming scarce in 

 England. Formerly it was a very common species and pretty generally 

 distributed in all parts ; but at the present day it appears to have either 

 forsaken or been exterminated from the central parts of this country ; and 

 almost the only places where a few scattered pairs are found are the bold 

 rocky headlands of our coasts, in districts little frequented by man, where 

 the bird, gifted as it is with no small amount of sagacity and prudence, is 

 able still to maintain its ground. But slowly and surely these English 

 Ravens are fast passing away ; their deserted eyries possess only historical 

 interest ; and the day is probably not far distant when it can no longer be 

 counted as an English bird. It bred regularly in quite recent years on the 

 cliffs at Flamborough ; but now a Raven is rarely seen, and does not tarry 

 long; it is probably only attracted to the place by memories of more 

 prosperous days. In Scotland, however, the Raven is a fairly common 

 bird in some parts of the mainland and adjacent islands, especially on 

 the Outer Hebrides and the Western Isles, extending to the Orkneys, 

 the Shetlands, and even to St. Kilda. According to Thompson it is 

 generally distributed in Ireland in all suitable localities. 



The Raven is a circumpolar bird, being found both in the Palsearctic and 

 Nearctic Regions. In the former region it extends as far north as land 

 occurs, both in Europe and Asia. Its southern range in Europe appa- 

 rently does not reach beyond the Mediterranean, although it is a common 



