BIEDS. 165 



Two nests were brought me from the mouth of the Tanaua Elver by Mr. Franyois Mercier, 

 who obtaiued them the 1st of April, 1880, after considerable persuasion and an offer of a large 

 reward in flour to the natives during a time of scarcity. By these means he succeeded in getting 

 a native to go out and search for the nests of this bird. The young fellow returned in a few hours 

 with two nests, each containing half-grown young. Walking into the house he told the trader to 

 take the nests and birds at once, for he was sure some evil would result from his act, and taking 

 his flour he hurried away before the birds and nests were examined. All the old crones and men 

 of the vicinity prophesied that the weather would turn cold, and that a very late spring would 

 ensue as a result of this robbery. As chance would have it the prophesies of the old soothsayers 

 came true in a remarkable degree, and the spring was the coldest and most backward by nearly a 

 month of any year since the Americans have had possession of the country. On the following 

 spring (of 1881) I asked the same trader to try and get me eggs of this bird by sending out na- 

 tives earlier in the season. He complied and offered still greater rewards than on the first occa- 

 sion, but the natives could not be bribed to risk the visitation of the birds' anger, and the old 

 people positively forbade any of the younger ones to have anything to do with the matter ; therefore 

 the attempt was abandoned. One point was gained, however, and that was the information how the 

 natives found tJie nests so readily. They told the trader that these nests could always be easily 

 found by examining the snow at the base of each bushy-topped spruce, and whenever a number 

 of small dry twigs were found lying near together upon the snow under a tree there was a great 

 probability of a jay's nest being snugly ensconced in the thick branches overhead. 



These two nests, now before me, are built of a matted mass of a cotton-like down of some plant; 

 about the upper edge and in the cavity are pieces of rabbit-fur, a few Horned Owl feathers, 

 and fine strips of bark. The entire nest rests upon a horizontal branch nearly 2 inches in diam- 

 eter, and a scanty number of small dead spruce twigs, G to 8 inches long, loosely woven into the 

 structure, give it consistency and prevent it from being easily damaged. This nest is 4.J inches 

 high by 6 broad, with a cavity 2 J inches deep by 3^ inches across the top. The other nest was 

 placed in the fork of a small branch less than half an inch in diameter, and rests on a rough plat- 

 form of slender spruce twigs. The main part of the nest is made of the same cottony substance 

 as is the first, and is also interwoven with twigs. Above this is a layer of fine fibrous black moss 

 such as occurs on spruce trees. The inside of the cavity is slightly lined with fine grass, This 

 nest measures 4 inches high by G inches broad, and the cavity 2 inches deep by 2f inches across 

 the top. 



Hearne says that it is well known that the Whisky Jack lays up great stores of berries for a 

 winter supply, and speaks of its power of mimicry. 



CoRVUS CORAX STNUATUS (Wagl.). American Eaveu (Esk. Ttl-lit-lccru-gUuk). 



Everywhere throughout the entire Territory of Alaska, including the shores of the Arctic 

 Ocean and Bering Sea, and the various Islands of the latter, this bird is a well-known resident. 

 Here, as in some more civilized regions, it bears a rather uncanny character, and many and strange 

 are the shapes it assumes in the folk-lore of the natives of these far off shores. 



On Akoutau, one of the Aleutian Islands, May 13, 1877, 1 found a pair of these birds nesting 

 on a shelf about 50 feet above the beach, and, as usual, their home was inaccessible. Bean 

 found it an abundant resident on the Near Islands. On Saint Matthew's Island Elliott found 

 several, and on Saint Lawrence Island they were seen by Elliott and myself. Strangely enough, 

 however, the bird is unknown upon the Fur Seal Islands, although these are only a little over 150 

 miles to the northward of the Aleutian chain. An attempt has even been made to populate the 

 Seal Islands by capturing ravens on the neighboring Aleutian Islands and taking them across by 

 vessel, but the unwilling emigrants refused to colonize their new abode and took the first oppor- 

 tunity to make their way back to their former home. This is especially remarkable, since the 

 annual slaughter of fur seals on these islands strews the land on every side with innumerable 

 carcasses, which one might suppose would render the islands peculiarly attractive to these cun- 

 ning birds. 



