106 



THE OOLOGIST 



The Northern Raven. 



By S. S. Dickey. 



The Latin scientific name for the 

 Northern Raven is Corvus corvax 

 pricipalis and means principal croak- 

 ing crow. The general color of the 

 bird's plumage is black and gives iri- 

 descent blue reflections in a proper 

 light; the length of the species varies 

 somewhat but averages twenty-four 

 inches; the feet and bill are black and 

 the latter is quite large and strong. 



The Northern Raven is a sub-race 

 of the American Raven which is found 

 in the United States only west of the 

 Mississippi River. The Northerner 

 differs from the Westerner in being 

 larger and in having a heavier beak. 

 Corvus corvax principalis inhabits 

 the Alleghany mountains from north- 

 ern Georgia to the Adirondack moun- 

 tains of northern New York and the 

 mountains of parts of New England. 

 In the lowlands the birds are some- 

 times found on the coasts of Virginia 

 and New Jersey. It seems that the' 

 species is most abundant in the United 

 States on the rocky coasts of Maine. 

 In the Dominion of Canada the birds 

 may be expected anywhere from the 

 Atlantic to the Pacific; they seem not 

 to dread the bitter cold of the far 

 North and spend much of the year in 

 parts of both Greenland and Alaska. 

 In the interior of our country Ravens 

 have been found nesting in the moun- 

 tains of central Pennsylvania and 

 have been sometimes seen about the 

 higher ridges of Virginia, West Vir- 

 ginia, Kentucky, and North Carolina. 



In Centre County, Pennsylvania, 

 Ravens dwell among the craggy moun- 

 tain ravines and at times fly out over 

 nearby farms in search of food. Dur- 

 ing the winter season, when they are 

 hard pressed for nourishment, they 

 will skirt the borders of towns and 

 villages; the writer has seen them sail 

 low over the college buildings that 



stand inside the town of State Col- 

 lege. However, the Raven spends 

 much of its time in the mountains 

 where ragged rocky bluffs afford it 

 shelter from the wintry chill and pro- 

 vide a nesting place in springtime. 



Ravens resemble Crows when view- 

 ed from a distance but when seen near 

 at hand their large size readily dis- 

 tinguishes them from the latter spe- 

 cies; and in flight the Raven ordinar- 

 ily soars and the Crow generally flaps 

 its wings. Then, too, the notes of 

 the Raven differ from those of its 

 smaller relative — the Raven's notes 

 are coarse gutteral outcries and are 

 usually described as croaking noises. 

 It is said that they have other cries 

 but the writer, in his meager acquaint- 

 ance with the species, has never heard 

 these. 



In a rocky ravine near State College 

 the writer had the pleasure of watch- 

 ing a pair of Ravens in their aerial ac- 

 tions. The day was a beautiful one of 

 early March, 1913 and the birds had 

 almost completed a nest on a cliff 

 nearby. They became annoyed when 

 I approached their chosen abode and 

 soared about in the air above me. As 

 I came quite near to the nest both 

 Ravens croaked repeatedly, endeavor- 

 ing to voice their disapproval at my 

 presence. 



This species of Raven feeds to a 

 great extent upon refuse matter such 

 as dead fish, sheep, cattle, and deer. 

 They are said to visit deserted hunters 

 camps and feed upon waste matter 

 left behind. Besides these things the 

 Ravens devour such insects as grass- 

 hoppers and beetles; also the eggs and 

 young of many kinds of birds. 



The nesting time of the Raven is 

 early March in our country and early 

 April in southern Canada. Nests are 

 built in trees and on the projecting 

 rocks of cliffs. They are huge affairs 

 of sticks, twigs, course weed stalks, 



