with fruits, infefts, and the accidental produce of 
the dunghill. 
Ravens ufually breed in trees, and lay five or 
fix eggs of a palifh green colour fpotted with 
brown. They generally abound in the environs 
of large cities and towns; and are held in the 
fame kind of veneration as vultures in Egypt, 
and for the fame reafon; becaufe they devour 
thofe carcafes, and that filth, which would other- 
wife prove inimical to health, as well as offenHvc 
to the fmell. However, they are not found in 
the neighbourhood of towns alone; they often 
build in unfrequented fituations, and expel all 
other birds from their vicinity: they will not even 
fufifer their young to remain in the fame diftrifl, 
but oblige them to depart as foon as they are able 
to provide for themfelves. Martin, in his De- 
fcription of the V/eftern IQes, affures us, that 
there are three little iflands among the number, 
each of which is occupied by one pair of Ravens, 
who will not permit any other birds to refide 
among them. 
A kind of refpeft has always been paid to the 
Raven by the vulgar, from it's having been ap- 
pointed by Pleaven to feed the prophet Elijah 
when he fled from the v/rath of Jezebel. The 
Romans, who deemed this bird ominous, paid to 
it the moil profound veneration from m.otives of 
fuperftitious fear. Linnseus informs us, that the 
Sv/edes regard Ravens as fo facred, that none of 
the natives ever attempt to moleft them. In the 
fouthern parts of that country, they fly to a great 
lieight when the weather is f^rene ; at which times 
they utter a very lingular cry, v/hich may be heard 
at a confiderable difiance. 
Pliny informs us that a Raven, which had been 
kept in the Temple of Cafror, flew down into the 
Ihop of a taylor; who was fo highly pleafed with 
the vifit of his new acquaintance, that he taught 
him feveral tricks; as alfo to pronounce the nam.e 
of the Emperor Tiberius, with the names of the 
whole royal family. He was beginning to grow 
rich, from the prefents he received of thofe who 
came to fee this wonderful bird ; when an envious 
neighbour killed the Raven, and deprived the 
taylor of all hopes of a future golden harveft. 
The Romans, however, punifhed the offender, 
and honoured the Raven with a magnificent fu- 
neral. 
The Raven is the rnofV remarkable of all birds 
for it's longevity. But though we cannot give 
implicit faith to what Hefiod afferts, namely, that 
one of thefe birds will live nine times as long as 
a man, yet it is certain that fome of them have 
been knov.'n to live one hundred years. Indeed, 
if conflant exercife, and a good appetite, be con- 
ducive to longevity, the Raven enjoys both in a 
fuperiative degree. 
The ancients confecrated the Raven to Apollo, 
becaufe it Vv^as fuppofed to poITefs a natural inftinft 
to foretel fjture events. 
RAVEN, NIGHT. An Englifh appellation 
foi- a fpecies of heron which flies in the night- 
time, and makes a very fingular hoarfe noife. It 
has been applied by fome authors to the bittern, 
or ardea flellaris; but improperly, as it certainly 
ftould be appropriated to the ardea cinerca mi- 
nor, or fmall grey heron. 
RAVEN, SEA. A name by which fome na- 
turalifts exprefs the corvorant or cormorant. 
RAVEN FISH. The m.outh of this fifli bears 
fome fimilitude to a bird's bill; the body is about 
a fpan long; the back and tail are red; the belly- 
is inclining to yellow; and there are two yellow 
fcreaks on each fide. The flefh is firm, and 
wholeibrne. This fifii is a native ofthe Oriental 
RAY. A genus of cartilaginous fiflies, with 
a broad, flat, thin body ; five apertures on each 
fide placed beneath; and the mouth fituated quite 
belov*^. 
The whole of this kind bear a flrong refem- 
blance to each other in their fio-ure; nor is ic 
eafy, without fome experience, to diflinguifli 
them. The fcranger to this dangerous tribe may 
imagine he is only handling a fkate, when he is 
infcantly benumbed by the torpedo; and he may 
fuppofe he has caught a thornback, till he is ftung 
by the fire-flaire. 
All fifh of the Ray kind are broad and cartila- 
ginous ; fwim fiat on the v/ater; and have fpines 
on different parts of their bodies, or at their tails. 
The eyes and mouths of all of them are placed 
quite under their bodies, v/ith apertures for breath- 
ing either about or near them. They all have 
teeth, or at leafi: rough bones which anfwer the 
fame purpofes. Their entrails are widefl; towards 
their mouths, gradually diminifhing to their tails j 
and even their tails are very different from thofe 
of other fifhes, always terminating in bunches or 
points. But the moft difcinguifliing peculiarity 
of the Ray kind is their prickles, which the diffe- 
rent Ipecies have on different parts of their bodies : 
fome are armed with fpines both above and be-^ 
low; others have them on their upper parts only; 
fome have their fpines at their tails; fome have 
triple rov/s of them; while others have them (in- 
gle. In fome fpecies, thefe fpines are compara- 
tively foft and feeble; but, in others, they are 
ftrong and piercing: the iiriallefl: generally incline 
towards their tails, and the largefl towards their 
heads. 
It is by their fpines alone that thefe animals 
are diftinguifned from each other. The fkate is 
rough on the middle of the back, and has a fin- 
gle row of fpines on the tail. The iliarp-nofed 
Ray has ten fpines near the middle of the back. 
The fuller, or rough Ray, has it's fpines indifcri- 
minately difperfed over the whole back. The 
thornback has a triple row of fpines on the back. 
The fire-flaire, or Sting-Ray, has one dangerous 
fpine placed in the tail, about four inches from 
the body: this inftrument, which is about fix in- 
ches long, is of a flinty hardncfs; and the fides 
are thin, fharp-pointed, and clolely and fharply 
bearded the whole length. While the torpedo is 
deflitute of fpines; but, in their room, ispoffeffed 
of faculties the mofl extraordinary and potent in 
nature. 
Such are the principal difcriminations between 
thefe animals; which are as voracious as they are 
plentiful; and as dangerous to ftrangers as ufeful 
to thofe who can diflinguifh their differences. 
Thefe fifli are the mofl numerous of all the 
larger ones of the fea; and, in fome meafure, they 
owe their numbers to their fize. Excepting the 
white fhark and the cachalot alone, there is no 
other fifh which has a fvv'ailow large enough to 
adm.it them; and their fpines make them ftill 
more dangerous miorfels: yet the fize of them is 
fuch, that even the fhark himfelf is unable to de- 
vour them. Some have been caught on the Bri- 
tifh coafts which weighed upwards of two hund- 
red pounds each. But this fize is trifling when 
compared 
