ALAUDIDAE—LARKS.
141
On two mornings he had a shot at the Raven, and, as he supposed, wounded it
severely the second time. It, or another, however, returned after some days and
was seen to take three poisoned eggs and next morning was looking for more I
Quite a number of poisoned eggs were consumed on the other side of the river
—at Norpitts and Raypitts, Canewdon—as the neighbourhood was well aroused
by this Raven visitation. Whether the eggs destroyed the young birds I know
not : they evidently didn't the old one ! I never heard of any damage from Ravens
near either Osey or Northey. These destructive and bloodthirsty habits were
probably developed from the fact of one or two dead horses being left on Bridge
Marsh.
" I used to know (for three years, 1872-4) of two nests within a quarter of a mile
of one another near the Devil's Steps, Thundersley, in some tall hedgerow-elms.
The Ravens probably nested there long previously, and they continued to do so
at least up to 1880. In 1879, I nearly had the young ones sent me from one nest,
by my brother-in-law, Mr. John Wallis, of Jarvis Hall, instead of a brood of Car-
rion Crows, which I wanted for Mr. Henry Laver. My wife thought the young
Crows ate quite enough, during the few days we kept them ! This locality is now
deserted. Mr. James Farrow, bailiff at Kent's Hill, South Benfleet, in answer to
enquiries, replied as below, under date April 9th, 1889 :—
"' I have been waiting to see if I could hear anything about where the Ravens
are building, but cannot. They have cut the branches what they used to build on
off, and I should think that is the reason they have left the trees.'
" One of these pairs had probably removed to the Hole or Pinesnest farm,
between South Benfleet brick-field (now disused) and Hadleigh Castle. We saw
this year's eggs from this nest exhibited by Mr. Foster, at the Southend meeting
of the club. Within the last twenty years I have heard of nests in this neighbour-
hood, at Nipsells and Clarke's farm, Mayland ; Stansgate Grove ; Brick House,
Mundon Hall and White House, Mundon ; Iltney, Mundon (in upper fence,
stubbed five years ago) ; and Goldhanger Decoy (once). I have two " Raven-trees "
myself, one on Northey Island, the other at the bottom of Jingle Hills, between
Jenkyns and Hazeleigh Hall. I should be only too pleased to welcome back the
old tenants or their descendants.
" Mr. Gurney says quite truly the Raven is already trembling on the very
verge of extinction in Essex, and this note will show something of what is happen-
ing to them in the last days of their persecution."
" P.S.—The Ravens were seen on Osey Island last month [Jan. 1890]."
Family ALAUDIDAE.
Sky Lark : Alauda arvensis.
An abundant and
well - known resident,
though partially migra-
tory. Its song may some-
times be heard during
every consecutive month
of the year,
Lieut. Legge writes (23.
9839) :
" The stubble lands and
low-lying fields [round Shoe-
bury] literally swarm with
Larks at this season of the
year [October], and they are