RAVEN REDBREAST. 189 



Its association with the story of Noah's Ark is known to 

 all. The Romans, who consecrated the Raven to Apollo, 

 regarded it as a foreteller of good or evil. In somewhat 

 later times, it became in England very generally accepted 

 as a bird of ill-omen. It is thus frequently alluded to in 

 Shakespeare. In " Othello " (act iv, sc. 1) we find a refer- 

 ence to its flying over a house in which there is sickness 

 being an omen of death 



As doth the Raven o'er the infectious house, 



Boding to all. 



Marlowe (" Jew of Malta ") alludes to the same superstition. 

 According to Dyer the belief is still held in Cornwall that 

 the croaking of a Raven over the house bodes evil to some 

 member of the family. Ravens' feathers are said to have 

 been used by witches, and Shakespeare (" Tempest," act i, 

 sc. 2) has : 



As wicked dew as e'er my mother brush' d 



With raven's feather from unwholesome fen. 



In Rowlands's "More Knaves Yet" (ca. 1613) allusion 

 is made to a curious belief that if a Raven cries just overhead 

 " some in the Towne have lost their virtue." Drayton 

 also alludes to " the black night-raven's throat " as boding 

 ill. According to Inwards it is a popular belief that if 

 Ravens croak three or four times and flap their wings fine 

 weather is expected. 



RAVEN or RAVEN CROW. According to Nel on and Clarke the 

 CARRION-CROW is so called in parts of Yorkshire. 



RAY'S WAGTAIL. See YELLOW WAGTAIL 



RAZORBILL [No. 443]. Occurs first in Merrett (1667). 

 Willughby mentions it as "The bird called Razorbill in 

 the West of England, Auk in the North, Murre in Cornwall." 

 Sibbald calls it the Auk and says it is " the Scout of our 

 country folk " (i.e. the Scots). 



RAZOR-GRINDER: The NIGHTJAR. (Norfolk.) From its 

 jarring note. 



RED-BACKED SHRIKE [No. 112]. The name, which is 

 derived from the bright red-brown mantle, seems to occur 

 first in Pennant (1766) as "Red-back't Butcher Bird," 

 which in later editions is changed to Red-backed Shrike. 



RED-BILLED HERON: The BUFF-BACKED HERON. (Pen- 

 nant.) 



REDBREAST [No. 185, British Redbreast, No. 184, Continental 

 Redbreast]. Properly a contraction of the old English name 

 "Robin Redbreast." Modern writers have, however, pre- 

 ferred the name Redbreast to the much more popular name 



