Page:The Zoologist, 1st series, vol 1 (1843).djvu/257

Rh their mates, and apparently making the most of their time during the absence of their tormentor.

There being no covert or brushwood at hand, and the branches of the trees being yet leafless, I was unable to conceal myself effectually, but having lain down at the foot of the tree containing the nest, I awaited the return of the ravens.

Nearly an hour elapsed before the arrival of the male bird, and I was first made aware of his approach by the consternation which it appeared to spread among the jackdaws. Like most animals under similar circumstances, when conscious of the approach of danger, they rapidly collected their forces on a single tree, keeping up all the time an incessant chattering, each bird shifting his position rapidly from bough to bough, while the raven, who held some food in his beak, satisfied himself on this occasion with two or three swoops into the terrified crowd, and having routed the greater part of them, he approached the tree in which his nest was placed.

Before arriving there, however, he evidently became aware of my presence, and dropping his prey, which proved to be a rat, he ascended in the air to a great height, in circular gyrations after the manner of a falcon, where he was soon joined by his consort, and the two birds continued to soar above my head while I remained there, uttering not only their usual hoarse croak, but also an extraordinary sound resembling the exclamation Oh! loudly and clearly ejaculated. At first I could scarcely persuade myself that it proceeded from the throat of either of the ravens, but my doubts were soon dispelled, for there was no human being within sight, and after carefully examining one of the birds for some time with the glass, I observed that each note was preceded by an opening of the beak, the great distance, of course, preventing sight and sound from being simultaneous.

I could not accurately distinguish to which of the birds this exclamation was to be attributed, but it apparently proceeded from one only, which seemed to be the female, or lesser of the two, and if intended to have the effect of imposing silence on its young, proved perfectly successful, for during the two hours that I remained there, the latter never uttered a cry.

With the assistance of ladders firmly fixed together, the nest was reached. It was comfortably lined throughout with the fur of the fallow deer, and contained three young ones, which appeared to have been hatched about a fortnight.

About six years have elapsed since a former pair of ravens built in Petworth Park. The old male was at last shot; this occurred in the