Francis Heatherley

“ But the whimpers disturb her until at last every time he opens his beak she bends over and puts hers into it, as if feeding him, or else closes his beak with her mandibles. Presently he leaves her and gets down into the eyrie to look for something to eat. He attacks the stem of the giant mallow growing in the eyrie, and gets his talons so deeply into it that he has to fall down and flutter about before he can get free. At 7.15 p.m, the Tiercel arrived with a bird and devoted himself entirely to this hungry male at first. ”

“ The Tiercel, at the sudden noise, stopped to listen with his beak open, which led to a misunderstanding. The youngster had been yapped at for not being prompt enough, so now he darted forward and, seizing his father's tongue, tried to pull it out. There now ensued a regular tug-of-war; the youngster planting his talons well into the ground and leaning back while his father shrieked in agony and, flapping his wings wildly, dragged the youngster, hanging on to his tongue, round and round. ”

“ As each finished preening, it backs to the edge of the eyrie and, grasping the rock firmly with its talons, beats its wings vigorously for a minute or two. The young ravens used to do the same thing during their last week at home. There are other signs of wandering as they emulate one another's efforts in climbing on to the surrounding rocks; one of the young females has, in fact, disappeared from the eyrie. One young male seems very empty, and is whimpering every few minutes. ”