NORTHERN RAVEN 199 



apparent bulges at the base of the jaws as seen from below (probably 

 the part where the brow joins the beak), the sharp break of the wings 

 at the shoulders, the openings between the primaries, and the large fan- 

 shaped tail. All these features can be clearly seen in the flight pictures 

 submitted." See plate 33. 



Enemies. — Ravens have few natural enemies. They have been known 

 to have occasional squabbles with gyrfalcons, duck hawks, red-tailed 

 and red-shouldered hawks, and crows, but such enc.ounters generally 

 result in favor of the ravens, with little damage inflicted on either 

 party. J. Southgate Y. Hoyt Vv^rites to me of such an incident that he 

 witnessed near Lexington, Va., on April 7, 1939: 



Just as we located this year's nest, I heard the cry of a duck hawk. From 

 around the end of the range came the raven with the duck hawk flying high 

 above it, calling loudly. The raven croaked a few notes of protest, but continued 

 its slow and deliberate flight along the range. As I watched this unusual sight, 

 I saw something at which I still marvel. 



The duck hawk stooped at the raven, calling faster. Just at the point when I 

 expected to see the raven get a hard blow, it flipped over on its back with its 

 feet up in the air and warded of? the blow. I could not see whether it used its 

 feet or just assumed an attitude of guard. The raven did not seem to use its 

 wings in turning over but was upside down in a small fraction of a minute. At 

 this the falcon swooped up in the air again, still screaming loudly. The raven 

 turned over again just as quickly as it had turned onto its back and resumed its 

 course slowly and steadily along the face of the mountain. 



The duck hawk, having again reached its position over the raven, stooped as 

 it had before. Again the raven turned over onto its back to ward oflr the blow. 

 This performance was repeated eight times as the raven crossed before me and 

 finally settled in a pine tree at the end of the clifif. The duck hawk swooped up 

 to a tall dead tree nearby and sat there motionless. The next I saw of the raven 

 was the pair of them flying back along the top of the mountain, and the duck 

 hawk was nowhere to be seen. 



Visiting this same mountain again this spring (1940), I witnessed a similar 

 performance between the raven and the duck hawk. This time the fight con- 

 tinued for several minutes high in the air over the edge of the mountain. 



The raven's worst and most effective enemy is man, because of the 

 damage it does, or is supposed to do, to domestic animals, some wild 

 animals, poultry, and nesting wildfowl and other game. Fortunately 

 for the ravens, they are so sagacious and wary that very few can be 

 shot, but many have been killed in crow traps and in various animal 

 traps. Theed Pearse (1938) tells of large numbers that were trapped 

 near Comox on Vancouver Island; 76 were trapped in 1933, 120 in 

 1934, 62 in 1935 ; "in 1936 the number taken was sixty-three, and in 

 January alone of 1937, seventy w^ere killed. Thus, during these years 

 of abundance, four hundred Ravens were destroyed in the Crow traps 

 alone, and it would be safe to add another hundred as having been shot 



