180 U. S. NATIONAL MUSEUM BULLETIN 217 



The first red-breasted mergansers were seen May 20 at Old Crow. 

 Some were single birds but most traveled by twos, male and female. 

 As a result of this relation of breeding to migration, the spring 

 course of migration could not be estimated nor could we compare the 

 relation between migrating and nesting numbers. 



The testes of the merganser and mallard had reached the largest size 

 of any observed among ducks, indicating early maturity for breeding, 

 and a common basis for their early pairing. 



In September Francis Williamson saw large flocks of mergansers on 

 the Porcupine. The trend of their flights was westward. Because 

 of this observation it is to be suspected that mergansers migrate to 

 Old Crow from the large population wintering on the western coast. 



The Indian name is Ttrah. 



Family ACCIPITRIDAE: Hawks, Harriers 



A view of the dates of arrival of migrating hawks which prey upon 

 birds show that they precede the arrival of any appreciable migration 

 of their prey. This suggests that they are not attracted to the Arctic 

 solely by the abundance of migrating birds, whose schedule they 

 anticipate. 



Accipiter gentilis (Linnaeus) 



On two occasions we thought a goshawk was recognized in a brief 

 view while flying among the tops of the spruces. Joe Kay provided 

 the name, Tbz choh, and an appropriate description after studying 

 illustrations of hawks. Since Olaus Murie in 1926 (Eand, 1946) 

 banded young goshawks on the Old Crow River, their nesting in the 

 area is established. 



Accipiter striatus Vieillot 



A report of a sharp-shinned hawk on May 8 is regarded as uncertain, 

 but several times later one was recorded as seen flying through the 

 tree tops near the edge of the bluff back of the village. On June 3 one 

 was clearly viewed as it was slowed down in carrying a mouse across 

 the slough near Kenneth Nukon's cabin. A specimen was obtained in 

 September 1958. 



The Indian name is Ohul rut tsit. 



Buteo lagopus (Pontopiddan) 



The earliest rough-legged hawk was seen circling high over Old 

 Crow Point on April 18. On April 29 two were seen several times 

 along Old Crow River near the cliff about 8 miles north of the village, 

 and an old nest there on June 10 was found occupied by a young 

 rough-leg about a week old. A few duck wings were in the nest and 



