THE RAVEN. 305 



attentive in watching our cribs or bird-traps, and when a bird was 

 taken, he endeavoured to catch it by turning up the crib, but in 

 so doing, the bird always escaped, as the raven could not let go 

 the crib in time to seize it. After several vain attempts of this 

 kind, the raven, seeing another bird caught, instead of going at 

 once to the crib, went to another tame raven, and induced it to 

 accompany him, when the one lifted up the crib, and the other 

 bore the poor captive off in triumph." 



It was a common practice in a spacious yard in Belfast, to 

 lay trains of corn for sparrows, and to shoot them from a window, 

 which was only so far open as to afford room for the muzzle of the 

 gun ; neither the instrument of destruction, nor the shooter being 

 visible from the outside. A tame raven, which was a nestling when 

 brought to the yard, and probably had never seen a shot fired, 

 afforded evidence that it understood the whole affair. When any 

 one appeared carrying a gun across the yard towards the house 

 from which the sparrows were fired at, the raven exhibited the 

 utmost alarm, by hurrying off with all possible speed, but in a ludi- 

 crously awkward gait, to hide itself, screaming loudly all the while. 

 Though alarmed for its own safety, this bird always concealed itself 

 near to, and within view of the field of action ; the shot was hardly 

 fired, when it dashed out from its retreat, and seizing one of the 

 dead or wounded sparrows, hurried back to its hiding-place. I have 

 repeatedly witnessed the whole scene. The raven's portion of the 

 sparrows was as duly exacted, as the tithe of the quails killed 

 during their migration at Capri, in the bay of Naples, is said to 

 be by the bishop of that island. 



Mr. E,. Patterson, in a note kindly contributed, remarks : — "In 

 September, 1831, I travelled from Portarlington, as far as New- 

 bridge barracks, with a very intelligent man, the colonel of a 

 Lancer regiment stationed there. This gentleman mentioned, that 

 when near Limerick on the preceding day, he saw from the coach- 

 top a raven alight among a flock of full-grown ducks in a field 

 adjoining the road, and after giving one of them a few blows, 

 throw it on its back, and begin to tear it up. I did not before 

 know that it ever carried its audacity so far as to attack a duck 



VOL. I. X 



