14 PROCEEDINGS OF THE 



quarters of an inch in diameter, and lined with thin strips of 

 bark and a large amount of sheeps' wool. The sticks were 

 freshly broken off, as was shown by their rough edges, while 

 the nest was easily discernible from a considerable distance. 

 The surrounding cliff was splattered with excrement, and a 

 large number of insects were crawling about, attracted by the 

 odor. A jagged pine stub in front of the cliff was evidently 

 used as a perch by the birds, as the rocks beneath were a mass 

 of chalky excrement. The nest held three young, nearly full 

 fledged. On near approach they struck out with their beaks 

 and uttered a harsh " cawr," more like a mixture of the notes 

 of the Fish Crow and Common Crow than the croak of the adult 

 Raven. During an hour's stay at the nest the old birds did not 

 put in an appearance. 



Having no knowledge of the nesting habits of the Raven we 

 did not venture near the place again till May 1, as we were 

 fearful lest the birds should desert the locality. As we ap- 

 proached the nest, one bird, presumably the female, flew con- 

 tinually about overhead, all the while croaking dismally. As 

 we reached the cliff, much to our surprise, we saw that some 

 one had destroyed the nest, which lay at the base of the cliff 

 ruined. However, two of the young still crouched on the rock 

 shelf which had held the nest. They seemed fully grown, 

 though their feathers were still rather fuzzy. One of the young 

 was secured, the solitary parent meanwhile flying in circles 

 overhead and croaking frequently. Though we were in the 

 neighborhood several times afterward, no trace of the birds was 

 seen until May 30, when I observed one at a distance of a mile 

 from the nest. 



Summing up the evidence at hand, we came to the conclusion 

 that the nesting season must be much earlier than we had sup- 

 posed, for the eggs must have been deposited not later than 

 March 10, when the surrounding mountains were still snow- 

 clad. With this in view the locality was visited much earlier 

 in 1910, and the results are appended below just as they were 

 written in my note-book. 



February 19, 1910. About twelve o'clock I set out for the 

 gap to look for the Ravens. Several times small flocks of 



