Raven (Joseph Wolf) - Public domain book illustration

Raven hunching down with feathers fluffed (an appeasement display) with sticks scattered around it. Woodcut as illustration for an article in "Once a Week" magazine. This is Sarah Stickney Ellis's tame raven, who every year would attempt to build a nest on a roof beam but didn't know what to do except collect random sticks. She describes the raven as looking "embarrassed" when humans would look at these attempts."[A] propensity... came upon [our raven] every spring to build a nest. He knew no more about the art of building than if he had had four feet instead of two, and had worn hair instead of feathers; but always about the same time of the year he became very mysterious, and very much occupied with some business of his own. He was observed to collect sticks, and resorted much to the under framework of an open thatched roof which protected a shed. Here, in fact, he slept at all seasons of the year, and the place might be called his 'residence.' Here, then, he brought his sticks, impelled most probably by a dim vision that something more than usually domestic was to be done. But the sticks, though collected in large quantities, were laid about in all directions, without the least approach to compactness or form. I believe he was himself aware of the bad job he was making of it, for nothing could vex him more than for us to go and look at his nest; so of course we went accordingly. He evidently knew it was wrong, but did not know how to make it right; and when we approached the place he was both angry and embarrassed, exhibiting every appearance of being exceedingly ashamed of what he was about. Perhaps the building partner was wanting in the concern, and so the nest-making never advanced beyond the mere collecting of raw material."