The Blossoming Rod

nd to be actually the case. At the same time, so different to them in outward appearance are the Jay and Magpie, that it may appear extraordinary to clas

RA

seen perched on the bare rocks, looking over the dreary snows of the highest points visited in the Arctic Expeditions. Under the burning sun of the equator he enjoys his feast of carrion. He was disc

t there is something unearthly in his nature and ominous in his voice.62 By the Romans this bird was consecrated to Apollo, and regarded as a foreteller of good or

OF IL

d the raven into many of the solemn passages of his Plays, to carry conviction to the minds of the

s o'er m

ven o'er the i

g to

, Act i

us and Cressida (Ac

Diomed; I would croak like a ra

deavours to cheer up the King, who has swo

ereign! gracious

message to the ill-boding

lord of Suffo

now to sing

tune bereft m

that the chirp

fort from a h

the first-con

art II. Act

s to himself, "An he had been a dog that should have howled thus, they would have hanged him: and I pray God his

IGHT-

f the curious noise produced by the latter bird, he says:-"This, I suppose, is

tion by the vulgar. "I remember, in the place where I was a boy, with what terror the bird's note affected the whole village; they considered it as the presage of some sad event, and generally found, or made one to succe

was called th

cried, aboding

art III. Ac

SED PROPH

effect, in the fifth scene of the first act in Macbeth, wher

comes here

ou 'rt mad

ter with him?

nformed for

you, it is true:-o

lows had the

d for breath, h

make up h

Give him

eat news. [E

himself

he fatal entr

y battl

y answers mentally, that he may well want breath; such a message would add hoarseness to the raven. That even the bird whose

inces for "sickly prey," or carri

m home, and dis

ne; and vast c

en on a sick-

decay of wr

n, Act i

ag

av

eads, and down

re sickl

sar, Act

CE ON BATT

phic picture of a distressed army followe

rions, desperate

y become the

urtains poorly

akes them pass

cutors, the k

ll, impatient f

possessing a mysterious knowledge of these things. The Icelanders, notwithstanding their endeavours to destroy as many as they can, yet give them credit for the gift of prophecy, and have a high opinion of them as soothsayers. And the priests of the North American Indians wear, as a di

FO

s bird during the nesting

ested vale, y

gh summer, yet

moss and bal

es the sun; her

ghtly owl or

onicus, Ac

entioned with regard to t

ravens foster f

own birds famis

onicus, Ac

ESERTION

ones newly hatched, and covered with down, it conceived such an aversion that it forsook them, and did not return to the nest until a darker plumage had shown itself. And to this belief commentators suppose the Psalmist alludes when he

ing upon the question:-"The raven is called Corvus of Corax. It is said that ravens birdes (i.e., young ravens)

y be believed if we consider that when the raven hath hatched her eggs, she takes no further care, but leaves her young ones to the care of the God of nature, who is said in the Psalms (

the words of the Psalmist

t doth the

tly caters fo

ort to

e It, Act

S' FE

brook Cherith, God commanded the ravens to feed him there. The remembrance of this passage may have been in our poet's mind when he penned

on, po

irit instruct th

thy nu

Tale, Act

es of old in their incantations; for it was believed that the wings of this bird carri

presaging rav

passport in h

hadow of the

tagion from he

Shakespeare puts into

w as e'er my

eather from un

n you

, Act i

virtuous," as in the expression "the virtuous properties of plants." A bad sore

K CHAR

aracter, we find the raven frequently contrasted with t

change a rav

ghts Dream,

ce the lamb t

ven's heart w

ight, Act

tyrant! fie

ather'd

··

to what thou j

uliet, Act

io here read, "ravenous,

ensified by cont

snow upon a r

to. Other editions

new snow on a

uliet, Act

ION IN

arcely be called "amber-colour'd." No doubt other members of the genus Corvus have o

our'd raven w

r's Lost, Ac

ieties have been found. This may be the result of disease, or of old age, drying up the animal secretions, and causing the absence of colour which we call white. According to ancient authors, ravens were formerly white, but were changed to black for babbling. The great age to whic

s to calm conte

rm-holes statel

lls from ancient

cr

ARRIO

his close relationship to his larger congener. So closely, indeed, does he re

of the s

at Ends Well,

here he cannot obtain a fresh meal, he has no objection to carrion and offal of all kinds. Sh

ds empty in th

atted with the

ht's Dream, A

r the future, avail themselves of the opportunity, when a sheep dies, to place a little strychnine in th

DATORY

iality for carrion. In the fifth act of Cymbeline a scene is laid in a field b

tain. Stand!

mus. A

been drooping

nswer

in. Lay hands

e shall not

have peck'd

e, Act v

ai

me to my master,-and you, hostess;-

l yield the crow a pudd

. Act i

s, boasting of his victory over Lord Cliffo

nded Clifford

atch I have en

y for carrion

nny beast he l

Part II. A

FOR C

battle, augured a defea

ro

eads, and down

kly prey; thei

ost fatal,

ready to give

sar, Act

r, comes to demand tribute from the British King, he is met with a flat refus

wards in other terms, you shall find us in our salt-water girdle: if you beat us out of it, it is

lifeless body of Jack Cade, who

rag thee headlo

l, which shall

off thy most u

bear in trium

unk for crows

art II. Act

AS A

in the case of the raven, we find the crow, as the e

e of Paphos m

athers

, Act iv

ai

hite as dr

ck as e'er

Tale, Act

s, a thin transparent black stuff, somewhat like crape, placed in c

owy dove troop

y o'er her fe

Juliet, Ac

ce with some th

e thee think t

Juliet, Ac

man swear he loves me;" but then this was meant to be personal, for Benedick, whom she addressed, wa

ck a crow

some antiquity, but the ori

ER AND SC

keeping a lad to shout, or putting up a "scare-crow," is no

dles his bow lik

r, Act i

oyed to keep the crows

ladies like a

Juliet, Ac

er Ascham, in his "Toxophilus," when speaking of a clumsy archer, has a similar comparison to that in the pas

ake a scare-cr

to fear66 the

one shape, til

, and not t

Measure, A

prisoner in France, he was exhibi

y, is the terro

that affrights

Part I. Ac

is recruits on the march to

seen such s

Part I. Ac

CH

idered a bird peculiar to the south-west coast of England. Since this last name was applied to it, the study of ornithology has become so universa

OUGH A

ow" will probably be remembered as

precipices and sea-cliffs, may once have frequented the cliffs at Dover; but whatever may have been the case formerly, this haunt, i

's the place:-stand

s, to cast one

oughs, that wing

gross as beetle

athers samphire,

ems no bigger

, that walk u

e; and yond tal

her cock; he

for sight: the

number'd idle

d so high.-I'l

turn, and the

down he

r, Act i

r four of these birds, with their bright red legs and bills,

species is not more plentiful a

'S LAN

ught to speak, but Shakespeare appears to have entertain

e, gabble enough,

at Ends Well,

deal more chattering than talk

re b

s that c

and unn

alo; I mysel

of as d

, Act i

s, meet to rob the travellers at Gadshill, Falstaff calls the victi

US CH

the attention of those around him to his wares, he takes the opportunity to pic

, and brought a benediction to the buyer: by which means I saw whose p

to choughs whom he had all

d man come in with a whoobub against his daughter and the king's son, and scared my choughs

JACK

in O'Flaherty's "West or H'Iar Connaught, 1684," p. 13:-"I omit other ordinary fowl and birds, as bernacles, wild geese, swans, cocks-of-the-wo

eare al

d choughs, m

wing at the g

ht's Dream, A

t-pated" than any of his congeners. We may presume, therefore, that this is the species to which Sh

mentioned, we find it referred to as the "daw." The word occurs in Coriolanus, Act iv. Sc. 5; Troilus and Cressida, Act i. Sc. 2; Much Ado about Not

ice sharp quill

I am no wise

Part I. Ac

nd dissembling I

ard action do

ct and figur

extern, 'tis

ar my heart u

s to pe

, Act i

MA

to various species of the crow family; and Shakespeare

understood re

d choughs, and ro

t'st man

Act iii

or evil from the flight of a magpie, or from the number of magpies

orrow, two

edding, four

e an abbreviation of "maggot," pointing to a certain propensity of the bird, which, however, is not peculiar. Those who have spent much time in the

the magpie is sometimes called

pies in dismal

art III. Ac

RO

ow. This is the Rook (Corvus frugilegus). But, notwithstanding the usefulness of the bird, the poet has not said much in its favour. I

hat this epithet in Shakespeare's time bore much the same signification as "jolly-dog" does now-a-day

E

3),-and only allude to it now to show that Shakespeare has not omitted it from his

Italy hath

e, Act i

t of the bright pl

ay more preciou

eathers are m

he Shrew, A

culo, in The Tempest (Ac

me bring thee

ng nails will di

's nest, and in

mble marmozet;

berds, and someti

rom the rock. Wil

istible, and Stephano interr

ad the way, without