THE RAVEN AT HOME. 327 



noon. Both young in nest ; water running through it. Saw a 

 Buzzard on the moor. 



18th. — Bright, with occasional clouds ; strong wind. Went 

 to gamekeeper's, and wasted an hour trying to take a photograph 

 of "Eaaf," the tame Kaven. It behaved like a semi-domesticated 

 devil. In one of the cloudy intervals he walked past, surrounded 

 by three black retrievers, snarling at him, whilst he was erect 

 and watchful. Put camera up by nest. Earl left me at 

 2.20 p.m. At 2.30 female came to alcove site, but soared away 

 again. Settled there again in fifteen minutes, hopped and 

 walked along edge. Sharpened her beak on edge, flew to 

 chasm site, and after peering anxiously at young soared away. 

 She did this nine or ten times, gradually getting nearer the 

 nest. Once when in chasm site she disgorged some lumps of 

 placenta, and after thoughtfully turning them over swallowed 

 them again. At last, at 4 p.m., she sailed on to the nest, and I 

 took her feeding the young. She returned and fed them again 

 at 4.8, 4.10, 4.12, and 4.18, each time flying straight on to 

 burnt patch of grass before sailing on to nest. She does not put 

 her beak so far into theirs now, and it is easy to see the lumps 

 of placenta being passed. After the last feed she never came 

 near the nest again before Earl relieved me at 6.30. Occa- 

 sionally one of the young stood up at the edge of the nest and 

 flapped its wings, as if trying them. Earl reported that when 

 not at nest female generally took up a position on the opposite 

 fell, near where Selous used to sit to watch the nest, and he 

 several times saw the male transfer food to her there. He 

 seems to do most of the foraging. I have not seen him go to 

 nest since 11th. 



19th. — Arrived at nest at 12.50. Whilst putting double 

 back in, the wooden wedge to which camera is fixed came out 

 of cliff, and whole thing had to be dismantled and put up 

 again. Whether it was due to all this disturbance or not, the 

 female only once came to alcove fifteen minutes after Earl left ad 

 3 p.m. Left at five, as sky was clouded over. Eained all night. 



20th. — Typical April-day showers and sunshine. Earl left 

 early to keep old birds off nest, as it seems to us that they try to 

 get feeding done when we are not there. I arrived at 12.15. 

 Earl left me in tent at 12.30. At 12.35 Raven pitched in 



