OIlDEll FASSERES. 329 



instinctive impulse of the bird, than for the use of the young. 

 These at their birth are whitish. 



It is said that the mother leaves the young for some time 

 after their birth without nourishment, and that she prepares 

 the first food they have for them in her stomach, in the man- 

 ner of pigeons. As is generally the case with animals of a 

 sort of domestic inclination, the male defends his young family 

 with great courage and address, and will succeed in repelling 

 the attack of the kite. 



The young are ready about the month of May to quit the 

 nest. So long as they are but partially able to provide for 

 themselves, the parents bring them food during the day, and 

 every evening the family reassemble in the nest, and this 

 practice continues the whole summer, which has led to the 

 presumption that they breed more than once in the year. 

 Though not quick breeders, however, these birds are very 

 long lived. When the young have attained strength enough 

 to provide altogether for themselves, the old birds drive 

 them from their own adopted vicinity to seek an asylum 

 elsewhere. 



The raven is capable of a very elevated flight, and accom- 

 modate sitself with ease to various temperatures ; hence almost 

 the whole earth is open to it, and we find it accordingly from 

 the arctic circle to its opposite. Its selecting any particular 

 country for its residence seems to be rather the result of the 

 quantity of food to be found there, or of accident, than of 

 high or low temperature, or of climate. The specific charac- 

 ters, however, of these birds are influenced by locality, and a 

 disposition in the plumage to become partially white has 

 been observed in such of them as inhabit high latitudes. 

 Hence the varied raven, or cacolotl of Hernandez, found in 

 Mexico, and the white raven of the North of Europe, are 

 now considered as mere varieties of the common species. 

 The corvus cruclrostra of Mauge, and the ravens with one 

 and two horns, Mhich were presented to the Duke of Saxony and 



