THE RAVEN. 79 
admiring the manifestations of the glorious perfections of their Omnipo- 
tent Creator. 
There, amid the tall grass of the far-extended prairies of the West, in the 
solemn forests of the North, on the heights of the midland mountains, by 
the shores of the boundless ocean, and On the bosom of the vast lakes and 
magnificent rivers, have I sought to search out the things which have been 
hidden since the creation of this wondrous world, or seen only by thehiaked 
Indian, who has, for unknown ages, dwelt in the gorgeous but melancholy 
wilderness. Who is the stranger to my own dear country that can form an 
adequate conception of the extent of its primeval w'oods, — of the glory of 
those columnar trunks, that for centuries have waved in the breeze, and 
resisted the shock of the tempest, — of the vast bays of our Atlantic coasts, 
replenished by thousands of streams, differing in magnitude, as differ the 
stars that sparkle in the expanse of the pure heavens, — of the diversity of 
aspect in our western plains, our sandy southern shores interspersed with 
reedy swamps, and the cliffs that protect our eastern coasts, — of the rapid 
currents of the Mexican Gulf, and the rushing tide streams of the Bay of 
Fundy, — of our ocean-lakes, our mighty rivers, our thundering cataracts, 
our majestic mountains, rearing their snowy heads into the calm regions of 
the clear cold sky ? 
In the United States, the Raven is in some measure a migratory bird, 
individuals retiring to the extreme south during severe winters, but return- 
ing towards the Middle, Western, and Northern Districts at the first indi- 
cations of milder weather. A few are known to breed in the mountainous 
portions of South Carolina, but instances of this kind are rare, and are 
occasioned merely by the security afforded by inaccessible precipices, in 
which they may rear their young. Their usual places of resort are the 
mountains, the abrupt banks of rivers, the rocky shores of lakes, and the 
cliffs of thinly-peopled or deserted islands. It is in such places that these 
birds must be watched and examined, before one can judge of their natural 
habits, as manifested amid their freedom from the dread of their most 
dangerous enemy, the lord of the creation. 
There, through the clear and rarified atmosphere, the Raven spreads his 
glossy wings and tail, and, as he onward sails, rises higher and higher each 
bold sweep that he makes, as if conscious that the nearer he approaches the 
sun, the more splendent will become the tints of his plumage. Intent on 
convincing his mate. of the fervour and constancy of his love, he now gently 
glides beneath her, floats in the buoyant air, or sails by her side. Would 
that I could describe to you, reader, the many musical inflections by means 
of which they hold converse during these amatory excursions ! These 
sounds doubtless express their pure conjugal feelings, confirmed and rendered 
