Red Lodge picket. [volume] (Red Lodge, Mont.) 1889-1907, 1892-11-19
WHERE. RAVENS NEST.
Moss Grown C,sags on the Isle of Wigll
Where the Birds Live.

Moss Grown C,sags on the Isle of Wight
Where the Birds Live.
The lofty precipices Of Culver
cliffs, in the southeast corner Of the
Isle of Wight, are still the breeding
places Of ravens and peregrine fssl-
con.
AS long ago as the days Of Queen
Elizabeth tie falcons from Culver
cliffs were famous, and are said to
have nested in the same eyries till
the present day The fishermen off
the foreland had just loaded Up
their boats with the lobster and
prawn pots, five dozen in boat, to
shoot at the turn Of the tide, and it
was not without difficulty that a
black eyed, brown legged fisher lad
was obtained to aid in managing tie
boat among the currents and rocks
which the falling tide would soon
disclose. Like most ''longshore" fish
ernlen, who look on the sea fowl and
rabbits il the cliffs as part Of their
yearly harvest equally with the pro
duce Of the sea, he was well &C
quainted with the habits Of the birds
and soon confirmed the existence OF
the ravens. A coast guard man had
caught g young one newly flown
from the nest a few weeks before,
which ate SO much that he had re
solved to sell it cheap when he re-
turned from his cruise with the mo,
bilized fleet.
AS we rowed quickly across The
bay which separates the lowlant
from the long line Of Culver ellis
the first face OF the precipioe opened
out-a square topped buttress Of
chalk, incurved and ovelhanging
with waving lines of fiints runni11 {
from top to bottom. For fifty fee1
above the water the cliff was covered
with pale, sulphur cololed inchen
and the surface was SO smooth a,nl
hard as to afford 10 foothold even K
the birds, except to the sand martens
which, abandoning tie bur1owins
habits Of their race, Lad made them
selves nests Of chalk pellets ll.e
those built by house martens beneath
the caves. The beams Of the setting
sun st1,eamed over the top Of the
precipice, ard against tie light Tx
tiny martens were visible, like gnsst
against the evening sky. The scarce
face Of the cliff was hardly more
favorable to the birds
A few gulls We're sitting on knife
like edge Of chalk which j17ts int
the sea at its extremity, and the frs
cormorant launched itself heavily
into the air and few out to see. Bll
as we approached the third ana leas
accessible angle Of the cliff the cric
and calls Of the birds could be heard
and cormcrants and gulls came hyi1lf
round tho crag to see VINO were TIT
distUrbers of their evening quiet.
At the extreme angle Of the reel
the sea has bored two deep Ilacl
holes in tho chalk, and il one Of thes
the body OF the last Of the Culye
cragsnlen was found some years $50
where the sea Lad washed it. =
this point the cliff is perhaps NOR,
impressive than at any other, risins
sheer, white and lofty, urtenante>
by birds and unmarked even Gy til
creeping sanlphi1'e.
Beyond the s1lcstrils, = as the blacl
holes are called, the surface Of tn
chalk alters and is marked with long
horizontal lines and ledges Of gras
and samphire, and crowded with th
Old and young sea fowl, Which hav
made it their home for centuries
The long, black, s1al1y heads All
necEs Of the co1morants lined til
highest shelves, and sea gulls sa
quietly in groups and lines like whit
doves against the short, green turf
Lower down the beds Of samphir
hung III gentle curves one below tn
other, like the "fcstooned blinds
now SO common, and among th
wreaths sat the white and slli1lin
600 fowl II o,7.5o7, G7e;.tata7.