BIRDS. 79 



suddenly dropped directly into the seal's hole, thus cutting off its re- 

 treat from the water. Its mate would then attack the seal, and en- 

 deavor to drag or drive it as far away from the hole as possible. The 

 attacking raven seemed to strike the seal on the top of the head with 

 its powerful bill, and thus break the tender skull. In two instances I 

 allowed the combat to proceed until the seal was killed, and then drove 

 the ravens away. I found no marks on the seal, except the blows on 

 the head, which had fractured the skull in two places. 



December 13, 1877, I witnessed a very amusing chase after a Lepm 

 glacialis. There were two ravens, and they gave alternate chase to the 

 hare. Sometimes the raven would catch the hare by the ears, and hare 

 and raven would roll down the mountain side together thirty or forty 

 feet, till the raven lost his hold, and then its companion would be on 

 hand and renew the attack. They killed the hare in a short time, and 

 immediately began devouring it. 



They are extremely destructive to the eggs and young of all birds 

 that have an open nest. They breed so early in the season that the 

 young are fully fledged by the time the eiders begin laying, and the 

 entire raven family then take up their abode on the duck islands, and 

 gorge themselves with eggs and young. ]^or is it only the eggs they 

 eat, but their mischievous nature must out, and I have seen them drive 

 the duck from her nest and deliberately break the eggs. 



The Eskimo accuse the raven of warning the deer of the approach of 

 the hunter by a peculiar croak not uttered at other times. This helps 

 to add odiuin to their not over-enviable reputation. They are constant 

 attendants of the Eskimo while seal-hunting. If the hunter procures 

 more seal than he can take back with him, he will cover them with snow 

 and return for them ; but the operation has been watched by the black 

 robbers from the neighboring cliffs, and a good number of them are soon 

 made acquainted with the discovery, and as soon as the Eskimo is gone 

 the seal is exhumed and soon reduced to the mere skeleton. I tried on 



* 



several occasions to catch them by baiting a hook with a piece of meat, 

 and carefully concealing the string in the snow. They took hold of the 

 meat very cautiously, and lifted it till they saw the string, and then flew 

 away in great haste. 



During the winter, while making skeletons, I used to throw the refuse 

 outside of the observatory ; and I have repeatedly watched the ravens 

 sit around and wait till I went to dinner, about 3.30 p. m. It was then, 

 of course, quite dark; but as soon as I left the hut they came and got 

 their meal, but were extremely cautious, often turning the pieces over 



