BULLOCK'S ORIOLE. 149 



of surprise ; but deep snow, and a temperature 

 32 below zero, so tamed them, that they came 

 down on the bullocks as the men were skinning 

 them, and, though again and again knocked off, 

 refused to leave until they had a bit given them : 

 luckily for the ravens, the men had a superstitious 

 dread of doing them an injury, so that they 

 had only to fight it out with the dogs and Indian 

 women, as to right of offals. 



The nest is built of sticks, and placed on the 

 veiy summit of the tallest pine-trees they can 

 find. They build very early in May, and usually 

 have two broods in the year. The same pair of 

 ravens use their old nest, simply repairing the 

 damage done by wind and weather. I have seen 

 them so gorged with dead mules' flesh as to be 

 unable to fly into a tree ; flapping their wings, to 

 aid in hopping the faster, they scrambled into the 

 bushes in a most undignified manner, too full even 

 to croak. They seldom lay more than two eggs. 



BULLOCK'S ORIOLE (Icterus buttockii,Ronap.). 

 This is the only representative of the orioles in 

 British Columbia, and by no means abundant, or 

 often seen by visitors. These birds prefer the 

 localities where the scrub-oak grows to the pine 

 region, and build a long pendulous nest, beauti- 

 fully woven of fibrous roots and grass-stalks, 



