200 BULLETIN 191, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM 



or otherwise destroyed (I came across one c.aught in a trap set for 

 Mink). The local Game Warden gives the huge total of 535 accounted 

 for up-to-date." 



He says that he "never saw a Raven doing anything that could be 

 described as harmful to the farmer, the sportsman, or other bird life." 

 Ducks, mallard and teal, bred in the sloughs between the two slaughter 

 houses where the ravens fed, and no diminution in the broods of these 

 ducks was noted during the periods of greatest abundance of the ravens. 

 One of their chief feeding grounds "appeared to be recently ploughed 

 land and grass-fields where the birds could be seen picking up food, 

 probably noxious insects such as cutworms, etc." 



Fall. — Most ravens are apparently resident throughout the year over 

 the greater part of their range, but there is some evidence of at least 

 a partial migration from extreme northern habitats. Hagerup (1891) 

 referred to what seemed to be migrations at Ivigtut, Greenland, as 

 follows : "I frequently noticed that when a strong wind blew from the 

 north they migrated in great numbers toward the south. The largest 

 of these migrations took place August 30, 1887, when one hundred to 

 two hundred crossed the valley. They were seen through the entire 

 day coming from the north side of the fjord, flying low over it, stopping 

 a little at the south shore, then crossing the valley until they reached 

 the mountains. At the base of the hills they first began to rise in the 

 air, working upwards in spiral curves without any flapping of wings, 

 until abreast of the summit, when they sailed away to the south." 



Mr. Pearse's notes state that "there appears to be a regular line of 

 migration along the east coast of Vancouver Island." Near Courtenay, 

 on August 16, 1923, 30 were seen going south, following one another 

 in a scattered formation and flying parallel to the shore line. Eleven 

 were seen on October 12, 1936, and a flock of 25 or 30 on December 

 8, 1935, all flying along the shore in the same direction. He says: 

 "Where the cliff makes an abrupt turn west, the birds seemed undecided 

 and stopped, wheeling around and some even playing. After a short 

 time the greater part of the flock moved seawards, going in an easterly 

 direction away from Vancouver Island and in the direction of another 

 island between there and the mainland, about 15 miles away. The other 

 birds remained wheeling around above the cHflF, evidently not liking to 

 *'ace the sea, though the day was fine and the sea calm. It was rather 

 amusing to follow the actions of these birds ; first a party of ten started 

 oflF; others followed, so that more than half of the flock was on its 

 way; there were some faint hearts among these, which straggled back 

 to join the birds that were still wheeling over the land. Twelve at least 

 continued the journey, and, shortly afterward, the faint hearts were 

 out of sight around the bend of the clifli, following the shore line." 



