1908-1909.] "■ The Raven Wys!' 157 



simple for the Eaven. If the Eaven resorts to wiles at all 

 they will be of different order, with his brain and his individu- 

 ality behind them, and bearing no sort of resemblance to the 

 racial practice of certain Plovers, nor even to the mystifying 

 dodges of Stonechats and Wheatears. 



A sight of the nest would also have dismissed our second 

 notion — I believe I was responsible for its introduction — that 

 the Eavens having been disturbed at their old quarters had 

 taken up new quarters near where we now saw them. As it 

 was, my brother gave this idea short shrift with obloquy, de- 

 claring that no Eaven worthy of the name, and no Eaven with 

 the brains to select the first site, of which he had very vivid 

 recollections, would build a nest where there was so little 

 vertical rock and so much vegetation, more especially when 

 there was a furlong or more of weather-worn beetling precipice 

 to provide other alternatives. No, these heathery crags were 

 not a likely place for a Eaven's nest. I agreed with the argu- 

 ment, if resenting the obloquy, but I proposed, they might be 

 very well used by the young Eavens, if these were already out 

 of the nest, as perching-places, and if the family were there 

 the parents would naturally be anxious. 



" Anxious 1 yes," said my brother, " but are they anxious ? " 

 and then it occurred to him to hand me the glasses. I had 

 had a lurking suspicion already that these Eavens were not as 

 anxious as they should be, that the passionate note of anger 

 and distress which had impressed us upon so many previous 

 occasions was absent both from their voice and their antics ; 

 but it was only now that I began to study them more closely 

 that I became aware that the seeming agitation was probably 

 no agitation at all. It was very much like Eaven play, very 

 much like the way we had seen a pair of Eavens behave in the 

 neighbourhood of the nesting cliff in the days of affection, 

 before the eggs were laid. They flew to and from the cliff, 

 sometimes one bird perched on it and then sallied out to 

 meet the other, when they would toy in the air and playfully 

 buffet one another, then one bird would tumble downwards 

 in characteristic Eaven fashion and regain the cliff', and the 

 other would soar outwards croaking vehemently. The latter 

 would return a moment later by one of those sudden, head- 

 long dives, which are the Eaven's own particular gift, and 



