80 NATURAL HISTORY OF ARCTIC AMERICA. 



many times before they swallowed tbeui, and even throwing and tossing 

 them, to he sure that there was no traj) abont it. Some pieces that 

 looked suspicions they would not eat, but walked around them and 

 turned them over, but could not be convinced that there was not some 

 trickery about them, I have often Ibund tlicin liuntin;; about tlic ob- 

 servatory after some stray scraps, even on my return fi'om dinner, when 

 it was so dark that I could not see them but a few feet away. On moon- 

 light nights I have known them to make visits to the rubbish pile out- 

 side our observatory; but such cases are rare, and only at the season 

 when they cannot get any food without the greatest diflHculty. At 

 Annanactook Harbor they began building as early as ]March 20, but I 

 saw some carrying pieces of skin and hair from the Eskimo encampments 

 many days earlier than this, and when we had a temperature of —40° 

 Fahr. 



They nest only on the south side of the highest and most inaccessible 

 dilfs, so the nest can seldom be reached. I examined one nest built on 

 a little shelf of a high clift". It was composed almost entirely of pieces 

 of Eskimo skin clothing, anu)ng which were scattered the larger wing- 

 bones of gulls, the larger primaries of several si)ecies of birds, twigs of 

 -salix, &c. The inside had a good lining of Poa alpina, and a consider- 

 able (juantity of reindeer, fox, and dog hair, the whole i)resenting a very 

 cozy appearance indeed. As soon as the seals begin to imiji umlci tlic 

 snow on the ice, they follow the foxes, which find the seal an<l drag them 

 out. Xow the ravens can fore well on the leavings. The Eslcimo finnly 

 believe that it does not hurt the ravens' eggs to freeze. They say the 

 shell cracks, but the inner membrane is very thick and lougli. 1 found 

 that the Scotch whalers are also of this opinion, some ]»ositively assert- 

 ing that they had kwowu fnKcn ravens' eggs to hatch ! 



The young are full-Hedged by the latter part of May. During the 

 autumn months thej^ feed largely on the berries of Vacci)iiKm ulifjiiiosKm 

 and Kinpctni in iii;irinii. 1 ha\ c ot'lcii oltserxcd thciti lishing ;it low tide 

 among the stones. 1 Icilled a couple to ascertain tlie naturi' of the food 

 they got. 1 found it to be CotfiiN scorpius and TJparis n(J(i<in'.s ?, with a 

 few small crustaceans. 



Tliey are resident in ( "unilicrhiiid the entire year, but ajipt-ar more 

 numen)us in winter, fn»Mi their hal»it of staying aliout the I'.sk lino en- 

 campments. 



The raven is (•(•nsideied as worse than useless by the Eskimo, They 

 make no nse of them excejtt to wipe tlie bhutd and grease i'vo\n their 

 hands and l'a<e with the leathers. 



