OF BIRDS* 
189 
Raven. ( Corvus Corax . PI. 29.) The raven is so 
generally known that a long description would rather 
tend to obscure the reader’s ideas than to gratify his cu- 
! riosity. It is the largest of the pie kind; under which 
| class of birds may be arranged all that noisy, restless, 
| chattering tribe, that lies between the hen and the thrush, 
that from the size of the raven down to that of the wood- 
pecker, flutter round our habitations, and make free with 
j! the fruits of human industry. They are, however, the 
most industrious, the most faithful, and the most connu- 
bial of volatiles; every species being true to its kind, and 
transmitting an unpolluted race to posterity. Their man- 
ners, as may naturally be supposed in so numerous a 
class, are very various: but they all agree in a few gene- 
ral characters; namely, in having hoarse voices, slight 
active bodies, and a facility of flight that baffles even the 
boldest of the rapacious kinds in the pursuit. 
The raven is about two feet in length, and four in 
breadth. Its bill is strong, and very thick at the base; 
; it measures somewhat more than two inches and a half 
in length, and is covered with strong hairs or bristles, 
which extend above half its length, covering the nostrils: 
the general colour of the upper parts is a fine giossy 
black, reflecting a blue tint on particular lights; the under 
parts are duller, and of a dusky hue. 
This bird is found in every region of the globe, and 
is apparently uninfluenced by the changes of the weather: 
for when other birds are benumbed with cold, or pining 
with famine, he is busily employed in seeking for prey, 
or sporting in the coldest atmosphere. Sometimes in- 
deed, he is seen perfectly white, which may probably be 
the effect of the rigorous climates of the north; but in 
all sitnations he appears active and healthy. 
In his wild state the raven is an active and greedy 
plunderer. Nothing comes amiss to him; for whether 
his prey be living or completely putrescent, he falls too 
with a voracious appetite, and after satiating himself, he 
flies to acquaint his fellows, that they may participate of 
the spoil. His scent is so exquisite, that he can discover 
carrion at an immense distance; but if in his flight he per- 
