The terrestrial mammals and birds of North-East dreenland. 191 



persons every day moved about in the environments of the ship. 

 Personally I took almost every day a walk during all the winter. 

 In a season in which the Raven could only with difficulty support 

 life, it would certainly have appeared near the ship, if it had been 

 in the neighbourhood. The sledge-parties of the expedition, which 

 so frequently were on the move far and wide — also in the dark 

 season — never discovered a Raven at this time. 



A longer voyage southwards to Shannon Island and Sabine 

 Island was undertaken by 6 men from November 13"^ to December 

 4*h 1906. Though the weather was generally comparatively fine and 

 though several landings were undertaken as well during the voyage 

 outwards as homewards, no bird was observed. Open water was 

 found in several places, and the surroundings of Sabine Island were 

 entirely free from ice. 



In the winter 1906—07 plenty of remnants of shot Whalrusses 

 were lying on Hvalrosodden ; they would surely have attracked Ravens 

 if present; but the travellers, who frequently visited this spot in the 

 dark season, observed no Raven later than November 4'^. 



I feel sure, that single pairs of Ravens must nest in the rocks 

 N. & N. E. of the ship's-harbour and the surroundings of Pustervig 

 and Mørkefjord, but no nest was recorded. 



Ravens must certainly also breed on the high rocky regions of 

 Koldewey Islands and Teufelkap. The breeding time will — as far 

 as I can judge — be in April. Single couples may, however, breed 

 somewhat later. 



March 12*h 1907 I shot a couple of Ravens — male and female 

 — that always kept together. The testicles of the male were already 

 somewhat developed ; the eggs of the female were relatively smaller. 



March 16*h 1907 I observed for a long while 3 Ravens: two 

 males violently fighting over a female. 



April 25'^^ 1908 it was reported from the meteorological station 

 at Pustervig, that a couple of Ravens had settled on the high in- 

 accesible mountain Monumentet, where they probably were nesting. 



A couple of Ravens visited every day the ship's-harbour from 

 May 16»^ to 25"^ 1906. The female — which at last was shot — 

 had well-marked breeding-spots. I believe, that this couple had 

 their young ones in the high rocks N. E. of the harbour. May 2P^ 

 I secured a Raven (?) with breeding-spots before my tent on Hvalros- 

 odden. 



The Ravens will generally wander about solitary or in couples; 

 more seldom I observed 3 to 4 birds in company — generally young. 

 Old birds will — according to my experience — live in couples, 

 even outside the breedins season. I have observed Ravens assemble 



