The Last Hampshire Ravens 15 
are also told in numberless places all over 
the country. Hveryone who knows the 
Selborne Letters will remember the pathetic 
history of the last ravens in his neigh- 
bourhood told by Gilbert White. That is 
a long time back, and it is known that 
ravens continued to breed in Hampshire 
for over a century after White's death. 
I am here speaking of the tnland-breeding 
birds; for up till now one pair of ravens 
still breed on the Isle of Wight chffs. It 
is of the last pair of birds that bred inland, 
on trees, that I have an anecdote or two 
to relate in this place. These were the 
Avineton ravens. How long they inhabited 
that ancient noble domain I do not know, 
but it is certain that they continued to 
breed annually in the park until about the 
year 1885. The “ravens’ clump” where the 
birds ‘had their nest still flourishes, but 
the more famous, immeasurably older tree 
close by—the Gospel Oak—is alas! dead, 
These Avington ravens were a good deal 
persecuted, but invariably when one lost 
its life the other would disappear for a 
few days to find and bring home a new 
mate. At last some scoundrel! got both 
birds, and that was the end, for of course As the Squirrel came flying down past his head, he attempted 
no others came to fill their place. IL capture it, using both hands, but missed it, and at the same 
was fortunate some time ago in making tie BiJes Jost thelx grip, end town afte: he Squinel he 
the acquamtance of an old man born and 
bred at Avington who was able to tell me a good deal about the famous ravens. 
He is a man of a curiously interesting type, found in many parts of England, but 
perhaps more common in the southern half of Hampshire than in most places: small, 
good-looking, oval-faced, dark-skinned, and black-haired; a little man, tough and lithe- 
bodied as a cat, of a bright, lively disposition, and very quick-tempered. When a young 
man he worked for some years as under woodman im the estate, and he had many 
exciting stories to tell of his tree-climbing feats. In those distant days—about 1850— 
climbing contests were common among the men who worked in the woods and parks, 
and he was the champion tree-climber in the place. One day, when coming from 
work with the other men, a squirrel was seen to run up an exceedingly tall isolated 
fir tree, and he, in a moment of madness, undertook to catch and bring it down. 
Up after the squirrel he went until he could go no further, and the lhttle thing was 
still above him, afraid to jump down and give him a chance to capture it, clinging 
toa slender branch directly over his head and out of his reach. He then thought 
to knock it down, and haying selected a small branch for the purpose was engaged in 
wrenching it off when the squirrel made his jump, and as it came flying down past his 
‘head he attempted to capture it, using both hands, but missed it, and at the same 
time his legs lost the grip on the branch he was on; and down after the squirrel 
he came, crashing through the higher branches and coming at last with a thud 
to the earth. He had fallen on his back, and was taken up senseless and terribly 
QnA WARD = 3 
— 02> 
