RAVENS. 227 



the } r oung ones are sufficiently matured to take care of 

 themselves, the old ones invariably drive them away, 

 and live independently. We have noticed their 

 hostility to the Jackdaws and other birds daring to 

 intrude on their favourite haunts ; they are them- 

 selves, however, occasionally very outrageous ma- 

 rauders 011 the property of others. Between Rooks 

 and Ravens, if a rookery perchance is within visiting 

 distance of a Raven's abode, there is eternal warfare ; 

 and no wonder, 'for they will venture to attack the 

 very nests, and carry off the unfledged Rooks as food 

 for their own young ; and those who are partial to 

 rookeries, have found it necessary to shoot the 

 Ravens, and destroy their nests, as the only effectual 

 means of keeping peace amongst the Rooks. But 

 notwithstanding the Raven's superior courage, he 

 does not always succeed ; for not only Rooks, but 

 Carrion Crows will sometimes put them to flight. 

 A person once heard an uncommon chattering and 

 clamour proceeding from a tree, and going near, to 

 learn the cause, observed no less than three Ravens 

 successively issue from the tree, followed by a single 

 Crow, which pursued and drove them fairly off. 



Generally speaking, they are solitary birds, the 

 same pair only remaining together ; but occasionally 

 this is not the case, particularly in the northern parts 

 of Europe, where they are more abundant, and are 

 often seen in greater numbers. Thus, in the month 

 of June, 1832, a party leaving the bay of Kirkwall, 

 in the Orkney Islands, north of Scotland, counted 

 twenty-four of these birds passing over their heads, 

 flying towards the north ; they were very near to 

 each other, and followed in the same way as Rooks 



