NORTHERN RAVEN. 125 
were driven, the woods echoed to the heavy blows of the beetle 
or mallet, and the tree nodded to its fall; but still the devoted 
Raven sat on. At last, when it gave way, she was flung from 
her ancient eyry; and a victim to parental affection, was 
whipped down by the twigs, and brought lifeless to the 
ground. 
The young, at first more white than black, are fed by food 
previously prepared in the craw of the mother and then dis- 
gorged by the bill, nearly in the manner of pigeons. The male 
at this time, doubly vigilant and industrious, not only provides 
for, but defends his family vigorously from every hostile attack, 
and shows a particular enmity to the Kite when he appears in 
his neighborhood, pouncing upon him and striking with his 
bill until sometimes both antagonists descend to the ground. 
The young are long and affectionately fed by the parents ; and 
though they soon leave the nest, they remain perching on the 
neighboring rocks, yet unable to make any extensive flight, and 
pass the time in continual complaining cries till the approach 
of the parent with food, when their note changes into craw, 
craw, craw. Now and then as they gain strength they make 
efforts to fly, and then return to their rocky roost. About 15 
days after leaving the nest, they become so well prepared for 
flight as to accompany the parents out on their excursions from 
morning to night; and it is amusing to watch the progress of 
this affectionate association, the young continuing the whole 
summer to go out with the old in the morning, and as regularly 
return with them again in the evening, so that however we may 
despise the appetite of the Raven, we cannot but admire the 
instinctive morality of his nature. 
Like birds of prey, the Ravens reject from the stomach, by 
the bill, the hard and indigestible parts of their food, as the 
stones of fruit and the bones of small fish which they some- 
times eat. 
The Northern Raven has been separated lately from the “ Mexi- 
can” race (for which latter the name of szzzatus has been retained); 
but the limits of their distribution have not been determined. The 
northern form occurs throughout Canada north to the Arctic Ocean 
