234 VERTEBRATES. 



lias almost become extinct, much to the discomfiture of omen- 

 seekers. No incantation and no dance of witches seemed to be 

 considered complete, without a black cat, a toad or two, a bat, and 

 a raven. Certainly the extraordinary gravity which marks the 

 demeanor of the Eaven has something almost preternatural in it. 

 The manner in which he sets about a piece of mischief, as if ho 

 considered it a moral duty, b most absurd, and the pertinacity 

 with which he prosecutes a great work, such as the feat of Charles 

 Dickens's raven, who " new pointed the greater part of the garden 

 wall, by digging out the mortar, and tore up and swallowed in 

 splinters the greater part of a wooden staircase of six steps and a 

 landing," is perfectly astounding. 



Of this bird, Mr. Wood says : " A raven in our possession 

 used to watch the gardener taking particular pains to prop up and 

 secure a valuable plant. His labor was always in vain, for the 

 raven^ with a sidelong step and an unconcerned air, as if he were 

 thinking of anything but the plant, would sidle by it, when one 

 wrench of his iron bill laid the unfortunate plant on the earth, and 

 the raven moved off with a most provoking air of innocence. The 

 lady to whom the garden belonged was quite afraid of the bird, 

 and declared that she almost believed that it was possessed by some 

 evil spirit. It used to walk behind her, so that she could never 

 see it ; for when she turned round, the raven hopped round too, 

 and kept himself completely out of her sight. At last it became 

 BO very mischievous that it was sent away, much to my regret. 



"Wot long ago, I was visiting a small collection of living 

 birds, among which was a raven, whose wings were clipped, and 

 who was permitted to have the free range of the yard. He gained 

 considerable benefit from his freedom, for he could steal the pro- 

 visions of the other birds, unless they were very quick. When I 

 weni .-c his residence, I took the back of a letter, and was reading 

 the address, when I saw the raven watching my proceedings with 

 great curiosity. The paper was of no consequence, so I let it fall, 

 and walked on as if it had been an accident. The raven waited 

 until I had left the paper some few paces behind, when he, took a 

 sidelong kind of a walk towards it, tore it into Bcraps, and ran 



