June, 1919] Birds of the Katmai Region 483 



15th of August on Kubugalki Peninsula, I picked up a pigeon 

 hawk that had been in an encounter with magpies. The hawk 

 received such severe treatment that it was unable to fly away 

 and it allowed me to walk up to it. The single magpie which 

 was engaging the hawk when I first realized that a fight was on 

 flew gracefully away on my approach to join six others of its 

 kind which, very likely, had been helping in a common attack 

 upon their enemy. 



Pica pica hudsonia (Sabine). Magpie. 



The magpie is rather plentiful in the wooded areas of the 

 region visited. They are mostly seen in small flocks of five to 

 eight and there is evidence that they adopt this method for pro- 

 tection, against their natural enemies. On various occasions 

 these birds demonstrated that they had no great fear of man, 

 for more than once I have seen them fly towards me and alight 

 just a few feet away. From observation it is evident that the 

 pigeon hawk, which is plentiful, is one of their much dreaded 

 enemies, and not being able to find adequate protection from it 

 in such a wild and uninhabited country they often engage it in 

 combat to the finish. 



Acanthis linaria (Linnaeus). Redpoll. 



This was one of the most attractive of the smaller birds seen 

 in Alaska. Flocks of them began to appear about camp near 

 the middle of July and soon they were everywhere, in the 

 lowlands, on the mountains, in the wooded areas, along the 

 streams and on one occasion I saw a large flock flying merrily 

 about over the Valley of ten thousand Smokes. They appeared to 

 be just as well satisfied one place as another and the wind and rain 

 and the steam and unpleasant odors of the " Valley," so far as I 

 could observe, detracted nothing from the pleasures they gave 

 evidence of enjoying wherever they happened to be. During 

 my stay in the Valley they were the only birds seen that gave 

 any indication at all of being attracted by the unique conditions 

 and unusual scenery to be observed. Whenever Redpolls are 

 within hearing distance, whether on the wing or perched, in the 

 bushes, they are giving continually their soft twittering notes 

 by which they are recognized readily. There is always an at- 

 tractiveness about these notes that gives one a pressing invita- 

 tion to go and see the birds. Specimens were taken on July 23. 



