78 NATURAL HISTORY OF ARCTIC AMERICA. 



from Cape Cliidly to Niaiitilic ^Vccoidiiig to the Eskimo they axe more 

 common thau nivalis from JVuguineute southward and in the interior. 

 Tliere apjx'ars to be quite a marked difCerence in specimens from Green- 

 hind and iiom Ahiska, and a comparison of a huge series may give some 

 interesting results. The Eskimo say thej' will eat blubber and meat if 

 their food gets covered by snow. I have seen a specimen that was so 

 covered with some oily substance that the feathers on the breast and 

 belly were matted together. I am told by Xugumeute Eskimo that in 

 summer the males " akapok amasuit" (talk a great deal). From tliis I 

 infer that they are probablj" lively songsters during the breeding season. 



16. Junco hyemalis, (L.) Scl. 



Unce ol>laincd on sliipbccird off Belle Isle, October, 1878. 



17. Scolocophagus ferrugineus, (Gin.) Sw. 



Caught on shipboard during a gale oft" (lie north coast of Xewfonnd- 

 land, October, 1878. 



18. Corvus corax, Linn(5. 



"Tudluak," Cuiiilicrlimil Eskimo. "Koriiotook," Grpcnlaiidcr.s; but also called 

 "Tiilluak." 



The raven is extraordinarily common on botli sliores of Cumberland 

 and on the eastern shore of the Penny Peninsula. In winter they con- 

 gregate about the Eskimo encampments, where they can almost always 

 get dead dog, if nothhig more. All tlie sitecimcns coll»'<-t('d by mc in 

 (Cumberland are of remarkable size, much larger than any I ever saw on 

 the Greenland coast. The same was remarked by Governor Fencker, of 

 Godhavn, who said he never could see any reason why the American 

 raven sliould be called a variety of the European till lie saw my speci- 

 mens from tlie Avestern coast of Davis Straits. 



When tlie raven gets closely ])ressed by hunger, he will attack almost 

 aiivtliing but man. Young reindeer tiiU an ea.sy prey to them. AVhen 

 they attack a young deer, there are generally six or scA'cn in eonipany, 

 and about one-half the number act as relays, so that the deer is given 

 no rest. The eyes are the first parts attacked, and are generally speed- 

 ily Itlucked out, when tlie ])oor animal will thrash and llounder about 

 till it kills itself. In the eaptnre of the young of raf/omys foetid us they 

 evince a considerable degree of intelligence. I have, on diircreiit occa- 

 sions, witne.s.sed them capture a young .seal that lay ba.sking in the sun 

 near its hoh>. The first nuuuenvre of the ravens was to sail leisurely 

 over the seal, gradually lowering with each circle, till at last one of them 



