92 U. S. NATIONAL MUSEUM BULLETIN 217 



to winter among the small wiUows of the treeless mountain valleys, 

 but apparently only a few remain to nest on the tundra. 



Corvus corax principalis Ridgway 



5 males weight (5), 1100- 



1400, average 1240 



g- 

 4 females weight (3), 1125, 



1050, 1300 g. 



Northern ravens may appear alone in the mountains or in groups 

 sometimes as large as 25 on almost any day and in any weather. They 

 may fly singly and direct, or a dozen may soar into view above the 

 highest mountain to maneuver aloft before diving down in complex 

 flight patterns, calling as they disappear among the cliffs. 



The Nunamiut name the raven TuluaJe^ which as they sound it re- 

 sembles the raven's common call. In the coldest weather, ravens are 

 active. Their adroitness in flight and keenness in finding caribou 

 killed by hunters or wolves are much admired. Many stories attest 

 the Nunamiut's appreciation for the raven's aerial skill, hardihood, 

 and undoubted ability to communicate while hunting and in the course 

 of their social flight maneuvers. The application of the raven's name 

 to a man is a compliment to his searching ability and discretion, or 

 glossy dark clothes, but it has the same connotation as the name of the 

 fox in our usage. 



Circling ravens often call the attention of Nunamiut hunters to 

 dead animals upon which bears or wolves may be feeding. Against 

 this service, the circling ravens may see the hunters and by their 

 action and calls warn his prey. Thus the behavior of ravens is signifi- 

 cant to the other residents of the north. To the Nunamiut ravens 

 are also interesting, for they recognize in them observant, curious 

 personalities which communicate with each other and so reveal their 

 social methods of play and work. 



No temperature or weather limits the raven's appearance, but they 

 are seldom seen far from the rocky mountains about which they like 

 to fly and where they nest. Observations in March, April, and May 

 suggest that there is more raven traffic in those months than in others, 

 but it is not obvious that there is any seasonal change in territory or 

 numbers in the mountains. 



As to the extent of the raven's travels in the mountains, I have 

 a story from Simon Paneak that in his grandfather's time a man on 

 the Colville River saw a raven suddenly drop dead from the cliffs. 

 Examination showed that it had been killed by a whalebone spring 

 such as in the old days was coiled and embedded in meat or fat and 

 then frozen, serving by expansion on thawing in the stomach to kill 

 a fox or wolf. The mark on the whalebone identified its owner. 



