2o6 St. Qitintin : Some AviciiUural Notes. 



reared. This season the owlets were suited well enough by the 

 cool moist weather, and there were two a fortnight old, which 

 seemed doing well. Suddenly the old female turned on them, 

 and not only killed, but ate them both. They are always kept 

 as quiet as possible when breeding, and I cannot account for it. 



i\s regards the plumage, these birds differ greatly. Some 

 individuals are much more spotted than others. As a rule the 

 males, which in the plumage of the first year are heavily spotted, 

 though the markings are always smaller and paler than in the 

 case of the females of the same age, become more and more 

 white each moult until about four years old, and then remain 

 without further change. 



My old male bird has this autumn in the moult altered his 

 appearance a good deal. Since his fourth year, he had been 

 pure white, except for a few black spots on the tertiaries on 

 both sides. This time he has put down many spotted feathers 

 on the wing coverts, so that the character of his plumage is 

 changed from what it had been for fourteen or lifteen years. 



My Ravens are regular breeders, and, of course, very early in 

 their nesting operations. They would sometimes build, if they 

 had the materials, before January was out. but I think it early 

 enough to supply them with their sticks about the middle of 

 February. A large basket is then fixed up in a corner of the 

 aviary, and a barrow load of larch and birch branches is thrown 

 in, also pieces of turf and wool. Moss used to be given, but it 

 was never used. The birds work so energetically that in a 

 week's time the nest is ready for eggs. The period of incuba- 

 tion is 21 days, and the young do not leave the nest till five 

 weeks old. 



Last 3'ear five fine yoimg were successfully reared, and dul}^ 

 distributed amongst my friends. This was rather a "^evere tax 

 upon not only the parents, but also upon those who had to 

 procure and prepare the food for such a family ; and no one 

 was sorry when this spring's brood was found to consist of but 

 two, probably owing to the first-laid eggs having been frozen. 



As an old falconer, I ought to have known better than to 

 feed as I did the first brood, some live 3'ears ago, with too light 

 food. The keepers were killing down rabbits at the time, and 

 small ones were brought in and freely given to the ravens. 

 They were, of course, quite fresh, and there was an ample 

 supply, but the young Ravens developed ' ricketts.' When the 

 time came for them to leave the nest, not only were their beaks 



Naturalist,. 



