FAUNA OF THE ALEUTIAN ISLANDS AND ALASKA PENINSULA 217 



blue foxes are killed in traps by ravens, and whether the raven 

 will seize and carry off blue-fox pups, and, if so, the frequency 

 of such an occurrence, are facts that should be established by 

 accurate observation. The ecological status of the raven should 

 be determined by a comprehensive study. 



In 1938, Scheffer was informed by someone at Umnak Island 

 that ravens will "gang up" and kill full-grown sheep. "Four or 

 five birds peck at the head until the sheep stands still with head 

 bowed and allows the birds to pick off flesh." Another sheep 

 herder said that ravens will pick the eyes out of weak sheep. 

 This last habit has been observed elsewhere, when ravens have 

 begun to pick at the eyes of a dying animal. In all such cases, 

 it is important to know the condition of the animal preyed upon, 

 as well as other attendant circumstances. 



In turn, the raven itself is preyed upon occasionally, as shown 

 by remains sometimes found in northern bald eagle nests. 



Corvus caurinus: Northwestern Crow 



The crow is common at Seward, where it patrols the beaches, 

 and it is abundant in the Kodiak-Afognak Islands group. At 

 Afognak Village, on September 2, 1936, we found a flock of 50 

 to 75 birds. 



We did not see this bird anywhere to the westward, and I was 

 unable to find any record of its occurrence on the base of Alaska 

 Peninsula. 



Nucifraga columbiana: Clark's Nutcracker 



There is a specimen in the National Museum of a Clark's nut- 

 cracker, which was taken by J. W. Johnson at Nushagak, Novem- 

 ber 5, 1885. This is the only information on this bird for the 

 Alaska Peninsula, and of course it is not found west of there. 



Family PARIDAE 



Parus atricapillus: Black-capped Chickadee 

 Parus atricapillus turneri 



The black-capped chickadee is widespread; it occurs from the 

 base of Alaska Peninsula and Kodiak to the Shumagins, though 

 too little work has been done in intermediate localities to de- 

 termine relative abundance. Both Osgood (1904a), who found 

 this bird sparingly throughout portions of the base of Alaska 

 Peninsula and Friedmann (1935), who examined the speci- 



