130 
BEAUTIFUL BIEDS. 
of committing considerable depredations upon the pro- 
perty of man ; but altliough this may in a measure be 
correct, the good that they do far exceeds the amount of 
evil that is caused by their plunderings. "Were it not 
for the labours of the birds of this genus, it is 
doubtful whether any country could be profitably cul- 
tivated. They are particularly organized for picking 
out from beneath the surface of the ground the hidden 
grubs or larvae that do such mischief to the sprouting 
grain and seed, as well as the herbage of the meadows. 
Even the Eaven, that bird of evil omen, as he has been 
considered, does his meed of good, and is seldom found 
where he is not wanted ; and although he is apt at 
times to attack the young and helpless of the flock, it 
is generally believed, in those places where Eavens 
abound, that he scents nothing but disease. In 
healthy districts, where the flocks are in good con- 
dition, the Eaven levies no contributiou, and seldom 
makes his appearance at all. 
The great perfection and variety of the powers 
exhibited by these birds -has induced Mr. Swainson to 
consider them the typical form of the whole class of 
birds. This superiority consists, he says, not in the 
extraordinary development of any one particular 
organ or quality, but in the union of nearly all those 
powers which have been separately assigned to other 
families. This perfection is best exemplified in looking 
to the economy of the ordinary Crows^ In every cli- 
mate habitable bv man these birds are found. They 
are as well constructed for powerful and continued 
flight, as for Avalking with a firm and stately pace on 
the earth ; they feed indiscriminately on animals or 
