Folio 37r - the magpie, continued. De corvo; the raven
divine about it; the proof of this is, if a woodpecker nests in any tree, a nail or anything fixed in the trunk will not stay there for long, but will fall out as soon as the bird sits in its nest.
Of the raven
The raven gets its name, corvus or corax, from the sound it makes in its throat, because it utters a croak.
It is said that when its young have been hatched, this bird does not feed them fully until it sees that they have black feathers similar to its own. But after it has seen that they are of dark plumage, and has recognised them as of its own species, it feeds them more generously.
When this bird feeds off corpses, it goes for the eyes first.
In the Scriptures, the raven is perceived in a variety of ways; it is sometimes taken to mean a preacher, sometimes a sinner, sometimes the Devil.
- Commentary
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Commentary
Text
The woodpecker. If a woodpecker sits in a tree, anything fixed to the tree will fall out. The Raven feeds its young well and eats the eyes from corpses.
Illustration
Four elegant magpies sit in a tree where an archer attempts to shoot them. Portrait of a black raven.
Comment
The significance of the hunter attempting to shoot them, not mentioned in the text, is not known. The same image is used in the Ashmole Bestiary f.48v and Oxford, Bod. MS Douce 151. The hunter and raven have been faintly pricked for pouncing. Initial type 2.
Folio Attributes
- Transcription and Translation
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Transcription
divinum, illo indicio quod\ in quacumque arbore nidi\ficaverit, clavum vel quic\quid aliud fixum diu he\rere non potest, quin sta\tim excidat ubi illa inse\derit.\ De corvo\ Corvus sive corax,\ nomen a sono gut\turis habet, quod voce cora\cinet. Fertur hec avis quod\ editis pullis escam non ple\ne prebeat, priusquam in eis per\ pennarum nigredinem\ similitudinem proprii coloris\ agnoscat. Postquam vero eos te\tros plumis aspexerit, in\ toto agnitos abundantius, hic prior in cadaveribus oculum pe\tit. Corvus in divina pagina diversis modis accipitur, ut per cor\vum aliquando predicatorum, aliquando peccatorum, aliquando diabolus intelligitur.\Translation
divine about it; the proof of this is, if a woodpecker nests in any tree, a nail or anything fixed in the trunk will not stay there for long, but will fall out as soon as the bird sits in its nest. Of the raven The raven gets its name, corvus or corax, from the sound it makes in its throat, because it utters a croak. It is said that when its young have been hatched, this bird does not feed them fully until it sees that they have black feathers similar to its own. But after it has seen that they are of dark plumage, and has recognised them as of its own species, it feeds them more generously. When this bird feeds off corpses, it goes for the eyes first. In the Scriptures, the raven is perceived in a variety of ways; it is sometimes taken to mean a preacher, sometimes a sinner, sometimes the Devil.
