The Columbus journal., 1890-11-19
THE RAVEN.


a Bird 0aee Plenty but GrSIually be.
Ing Exsevminssed:
The so-called American raven i found
Is far north Is Labrador, Il not being
affected by the severe.t cold. The male
Is about twenty-five inches long, With
the bill three inches. It Is generally
seen in pairs, and prefers rocky lsud
near lakes or rivers. The eolUrado
raven IL onls, found Ia the South and is
larger than the American species, but
does not differ in general habits. The
white-necked raven is found in Texas
md Mexico. The European bird is
similar to tho American; and allied
snecies exist in Asia Aud Africa. It il
apeculiar fact that where crows are
plenty the raven is not met and vice
versa. =,
Seebohm, In his trassls In European
Siberia, found the raven almost uni
versaliy diffused throughout Northern
Europe, ranging as far north in. the
Valley of the Petchors ss g degrees
latitude, but is not seen in Africa or
China aud japan. where . closely allied
species takes its place. It doe, not
breed in the Scilly Isles, but in q few
place. along the Cornish cliffs 1t /,
becoming . scarce bird in many parts Of
England. A few pairs h,sy yet be
found on some Of the Yorkshire fells,
perhaps q solitary pair in Cleveland.
We have noticed them in the lake dis
trict, and the last we remember seeing
were pair which flew across q lonely
valley in the north of Sutherlandshire,
croaking loudly as We disturbed "their
ancient solitary reign" Like the red
Indians, as man pressed onward, the
more do they fall back. As q species,
ravens In Great Britain are speedily
doomed to destruction. They will fol-
low the great aux.
The birds glorous time was during
the rule of Scandinavia over the seas.
The raven was then chosen as their
standard, and we'll did the craft, the
sudden dash, the calculating cruelty Of
the bird type the same qualities in the
vagrant vikings and their followers who
landed suddenly on some defenseless
coast, and, advancing, gave all they met
to fire and slaughter. While Odin,
great All-Father, sat on his throne with
two wolves at his feet, two ravens
called Thought aud Mind, perched on
his shoulders. Many are the traces of
the raven banner lett on the place
names of the northeast by these Scandi-
navian rovers: Ravendales, Ravens
hill, Ravenspurn-swept away now like
this old sea- valiant race itself Raven
stoke, Ravensden, RavensclOugh, and
the like.
Owing ravens hide themselves from
daylight in burial-llaces among the
rocks, and are seen hobtling into their
tombs, as if driven thither by flock of
fears, aud crouching under a remorse
that disturbs instinct, even As if it were
conscience. So sings and says the
Celtic superstition, adding that there
are raven ghosts, great black bundles
of feathers, for even in the forest, night
hunting in famine for prey, emitting u
last feeble croak at the approach of
dawn, and then all at once invisible. /"
1t was in early days also believed en-.
dowed with the power of forestalling
deaths visitation and making it known
by certain signs.
Poison and cartridges are now, how
ever, making sad havoc of these fine
birds. Black as they now are both in
plumage and character, Jewish folklore
tells that they were originally white,
and were turned black for their deceit
full behavior; also that the raven flies in
a crooked course, and not direct like
other birds, because it was cursed by
Noah. In Germany witches are be-
lieved to ride on ravens, and if any man
wish to render himself an unerring shot
he has only to swallow the hearts of
three ravens after they have been
burned and reduced to powder. The
raven stone is endowed with wonderful
talismanic power. The best way to
obtain it is to take an egg from ravens
nest, boil it hard and replace it. Then
the old bird will bring the much
coveted stone from the sea to her own
nest.