418 MICHIGAN J5IR1) LIFE. 



that he saw two in Lake county, October 12, 1883, and S. K. White records 

 one as seen at Grand Rapids, April 8, 1890. We have a specimen in the 

 College iNIuseum taken November 12, 1896, near Trout Lake, Mackinac 

 county, Mich., and Mr. C. J. Scranton of West Branch, Ogemaw county, 

 told the writer in 1899 that, although not common there, several were 

 seen every winter and that they usually stayed through the summer. 

 The same year Mr. Oscar Palmer of Grayling, Crawford count5^ assured us 

 that it was not uncommon in that vicinity still. Major Boies found it 

 rather common in the fall on Neebish Island in the St. Mary's River, and 

 O. B. Warren stated in 1898 that Ravens were seen every month of the year 

 at Marquette, although they were rare. From 1889 to 1891 S. E. White 

 found it common along the north shore of the Straits of Mackinac, and Mr. 

 Newell A. Eddy of Bay City tells us that his last record for the Lower 

 Peninsula is a pair seen at a lumber camp in Roscommon county, March 

 27, 1891. Judge J. H. Steere informed us in 1903 that the Raven was still 

 very common at Sault Ste. Marie during some Avinters, often coming into 

 the city after refuse. He stated that scores were killed in Chippewa county 

 each winter by poison put out for Avolves. Mr. Joplin of JMunising informs 

 us that it occurs regularly in winter on Grand Island (in Lake Superior), 

 Alger county. Professor Eliot Blackwilder states that in Iron county 

 (Upper Peninsula), it is a bird of the deep recesses of the forest, not 

 common anywhere, but single pairs seen at frequent intervals (Auk, XXVI, 

 1909, 368). 



Formerly the Raven doubtless nested all over the state and it is not 

 impossible that it still nests in suitable places here and there. According 

 to Hon. Chase S. Osborn it breeds in the Upper Peninsula "in the tallest 

 dense-topped conifers," and by the middle or latter part of April deposits 

 from two to seven eggs, which are hatched after about twenty days. 

 Under date of December 22, 1906, IMr. Osborn wa-ote: "During the last 

 month I have seen quite a number of Ravens in this vicinity (near Ecker- 

 man, Chippewa count}^), and upon one day I saw twenty-two, seven of 

 them in one flight, but the}^ are not as numerous as in former years." 



The only account which we have been able to get of the actual finding of 

 a Raven's nest in the Lower Peninsula comes from Mr. F. H. Chapin, of Kal- 

 amazoo, and refers to a part of the state in which this bird would hardly be 

 looked for under present conditions. Mr. Chapin writes: "In May, 1880, 

 there was a large swamp, several miles long and two miles wide, at the head- 

 waters of the north fork of the Paw Paw River, in Almena township. Van 

 Buren countj^ Here, breeding for the most part in large sycamores, was 

 a large colony of Great Blue Herons, ^Mr. Sykes and myself went up there 

 to get some herons and I immediately remarked a pair of Ravens. I was 

 unal)le to visit the place again, however, until April 26, 1889, when I 

 returned to the heronry with Mr. L. E. Reed, a student at that time in 

 Kalamazoo College. The herons were not there, but we noted a pair of 

 Ravens and after some search we saw a bird leave a large nest. We secured 

 this bird and also another which had appeared on the nest. Both proved 

 to be full grown young of the year, and I have one of them still in my 

 collection. We did not get the old birds, for they were too wary. The 

 nest was situated on the broken top of a sj^camore, sixty feet up. The top 

 had been blown off squarely and on this break a very large nest of sticks 

 had been built. ^larch 18, 1890, Mr. Reed and myself again visited the 

 place, hoping to secure the old Ravens and the eggs, but were disappointed 

 in both I'espects. The old l)irds kept out of range and the nest contained 



