St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1884-12-16
TtcO COrbIes.

In cliff not half mile from my early
northern home, pair Of ravens every sum
mer built their nest. They had been there
no one knew how long. The nest was about
midway between the top of the cliff and the
sea at its base, being placed within a small
cave on the face of the preciplce, where il
was safe from all invaders. The young ones
were Unsuitable; and as their parents liked
TO see them well fed, it occasionally happened
that hen or a duck might be found amiss-
ing from the farm yard.
In the same cliff but nearer the water,
and just over the mouth of a cave, a cor
morant-or shag, as we call the bird-built
her nest on an open shelf, so that we could
not see the eggs from the top of the cliff.
The male raven had seen them too, and re-
solved to transfer the eggs to his nest But
this did not prove TO be so easy as il had
looked; for the shag, with her long neck and
hooked bill, defended her property to the
last. The raven did not like to come TO close
quarters with her, but sought TO gain the
eggs by art and perseverance. He would
alight on one end of the shelf, and side up
TO the shay as near as he dared, picking at
the outside material of her nest, and thus
provoking her to make dive at him, so as
to draw her of the eggs. That gained, he
would spring to the other side of the nest to
seize an egg But the shag would wheel
round and meet him with open mouth, some
times rufiling feather out of him. This
went on now and then for several DAYS, till
one day the shay got firm hold OF him, and
both tumbled over plump into the sea. I'm
fortunately, the shag lost her hold as they
fell into the water, or perhaps she had to Jet
go; and the raven getting on her back, was
soon on the wing. The shag by-and-by got
up also; but ere she could reach her nest,
the raven, drenched as he was, had removed
the eggs, not to his nest, but TO a short dis
lance, from which be could carry them away
at his leisure.
The poor shag had no avenger, and there
the matter seemed to terminate. But one
night shortly after, thunder storm came on
from the direction of the sea in front OF the
cliff. The rain was heavy, and the thunder
loud; and next morning the ''corbies' "
nest with their family had been washed away.
saw the bereaved parents sitting on the
top of the cliff, each picture of desolatiOn,
Sespecially the motherbird.
After day or two, we began to hear oil
sheep being destroyed by some strange
! agency, and then we were told that it was
the work of the ''corbies." This did not
seem credible; but more than one person
work. One morning, a choice sheep ol
mine was found destroyed; and 1 started al
once with a gun to shoot the destroyers.
But they knew what the weapon meant; and
for eight days, early and late, my effort:
were uuavailing. At lastI killed a raven,
though whether one of the destructive birds
| l could not be certain; but from that day,
the sheep were safe, and the birds never
again seen. {
During nine days, these two ravens killed
no fewer than thirty strong, fullgrown sheep
! Their mode of action was discovered TO be az
follows: The motherbird would fly on to the
sleeps face, fixing her claws below the eyes
and Selling the top OF the head with her bill
would flap with her wings and scream fright
| fully. Her mate, ever near, would, wber
the sheep was so fixed, get on her back and
dig hole through to the kidneys. Thu
sheep, distracted and blinded, would some
times run over the cliff, sometimes into
ditch, and sometimes fail down exhausted
In no case were the ravens known TO leavl
their victim until life was extinct, swapping
the windpipe to that end, when other mean
failed; and in no case were they known u
feed on the sleeps carcass. The loss o
their young ones seemed TO have excite'
them TO madness, and the sheep seemed I
be the only living thing on which they coul
vent their rage. Had demoniacal possession
been present-day affection, / should hav
regarded these ravens as case II
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