THE RAVEN. 



( Corvus Corax. ) 



THIS handsome and truly interest- 

 ing bird is found in nearly all 

 portions of the globe wherever 

 there are wide expanses of un- 

 cultivated ground. It is a solitary bird, 

 living in the wildest places it can find, 

 especially preferring those that are in- 

 tersected with hills. In such localities 

 it is said the raven reigns supreme, 

 "scarcely the eagle himself daring to 

 contest the supremacy with so power- 

 ful, crafty, and strong-beaked a bird." 

 The raven lives almost entirely on 

 food of an animal nature, and there are 

 few living things which it will not eat 

 when the opportunity is given it. 

 Worms, grubs, caterpillars, and insects 

 of all kinds are swallowed by hundreds, 

 though carrion is its chief diet. Its 

 wings are large and powerful, and 

 its daily range of flight is so extensive 

 that many hundreds of objects pass 

 under its ken, and it is tolerably sure, 

 in the course of the day, to find at least 

 one dead sheep or lamb. So strongly 

 is the desire for attacking wounded or 

 dying animals implanted in the breast 

 of the raven, that, according to Mudie, 

 the best method of attracting one of 

 these birds within gunshot is to^ lie on 

 the back on some exposed part of a hill 

 with the gun concealed and close at 

 hand. It is needful to remain per- 

 factly quiet, because if there is the 

 slightest sign of life the raven will not 

 approach, for, as Mudie rather quaintly 

 observes, "he is shy of man and of all 

 large animals in nature; because, though 

 glad to find others carrion, or to make 

 carrion of them if he can do it with im- 

 punity, he takes good care that none 

 shall make carrion of him." It is need- 

 ful to watch carefully, and not to be 

 overcome by sleep, as the first intima- 

 tion of the raven's approach would to a 

 certainty be the loss of an eye. 



The tongue of the raven is rather 

 curiously formed, being broad, flat, 

 covered with a horny kind of shield, 

 and deeply cleft at the extremity. At 

 the root are four rather large projec- 

 tions or spines, the points being directed 



backward. The use of the spines is not 

 known. 



The cunning of the raven is prover- 

 bial, and many anecdotes are told of 

 its intellectual powers. Charles Dick- 

 ens in "Barnaby Rudge" has made of 

 it an interesting character, which is by 

 no means overdrawn. From the mass 

 of these stories we will select one which 

 is not generally known: 



"One of these birds struck up a great 

 friendship for a terrier belonging to 

 the landlord of an inn, and carried his 

 friendship so far as to accompany his 

 ally in little hunting-expeditions. In 

 these affairs the two comrades used to 

 kill an astonishing number of hares, 

 rabbits, and other game, each taking 

 his own share of the work. As soon 

 as they came to a covert, the raven 

 would station himself outside, while 

 the dog would enter the covert and 

 drive out the hares from their conceal- 

 ment, taking care to send them in the 

 direction of the watchful bird. On his 

 part the raven always posted himself 

 close to one of the outlets, and as soon 

 as any living creature passed within 

 reach, he would pounce upon it, and 

 either destroy it at once or wait until 

 the dog came to his assistance, when 

 by their united efforts the prey was 

 soon killed. Rat-hunting was a favor- 

 ite sport of these strange allies, and it 

 was said by those who witnessed their 

 proceedings that the raven was even 

 more useful than a ferret would have 

 been." 



Captain McClure, the Arctic voy- 

 ager, says that the raven is the hardiest 

 of the feathered tribe, and even in the 

 depths of winter, when wine freezes 

 within a yard of the fire, the bird may 

 be seen winging his way through the 

 icy atmosphere, and uttering his strange, 

 rough, croaking cry, as unconcernedly 

 as if the weather were soft and warm as 

 springtime. 



In captivity the raven is an exceed- 

 ingly amusing, although mischievous 

 creature, and displays a talent for the 

 invention of mischief which is only 



235 



