90 
THE BIRDS OF HAMPSHIRE. 
In 1865 Hadfield wrote ^ that a solitary pair bred in 
the high cliffs between Luccombe and Shanklin Chines 
till within the last year or two, and that the young in July 
were full fledged. 
In the Forest, in Wise's time, the raven used to build 
in the old woods round Burley, and the last two nests were 
taken in 1858. Another of its breeding places was in 
Puckpits, where, however, it has not built for the last four 
seasons. Formerly the bird was common enough, as the 
different Ravensnest Woods still show ; and old men in 
the forest have told me, in direct opposition, however, to 
w^hat Yarrell says, that when, as boys, taking its eggs, they 
were obliged to arm themselves with stones and sticks to 
drive off the parent birds, who fiercely defended their 
nests with their claws and bills. Now it is nearly extinct, 
though a pair may sometimes be seen wherever there is 
a dead horse or cow in the district." 2 However, with 
regard to the defence of their nests against man, Yarrell 
is certainly the more correct authority. 
In Kelsall's list^ it is stated on the authority of 
Messrs. Hart and Rake, that two pairs still nested there, 
but this information, though given in good faith, had 
probably ceased to be true before it was published ; and 
the Hon. Gerald Lascelles informs us that none have nested 
there in his time, that is, since 1880, nor has he been able 
to hear that they did so for many years previously. Those 
that haunt the forest seem generally to come from the 
Freshwater Cliffs. 
During the last half century several inland nesting- 
places of this species have been forsaken by the birds, 
' " Zoologist." 
= " The New Forest," by J. R. Wise. 1862. 
3 Published in 1890. 
