880 Ebport of State Geologist. 



ty Superintendent of Schools, Jasper, Ind.. has very kindly made in- 

 quiries on this subject in Dubois County. He knows of his own 

 knowledge that Eavens were found in that county up to five years ago. 

 "Ravens' Rock" is a sandstone cliff 75 or 80 feet high, the top 

 of which projects about 33 feet. It is situated between Dubois and 

 Ellsworth. Two school teachers from that neighborhood have, by Mr. 

 Wilson's request, investigated the question of its breeding there, and 

 the following is the substance of their report. In the cliff are shelves, 

 very diificult to reach, and on those, or, rather, in the crevices, the 

 Ravens build their nests, or did so until very recently. These nests 

 were rough, made of large weeds, or even sticks, with hair or wool. 

 The Ravens have not been noticed there this year, but were a year 

 or two ago, and regularly previous to that. They look very much like a 

 crow, but are very much larger, even two feet from bill to tip of tail, 

 which is round in shape. They have been seen to eat rabbits, and some 

 say to "suck eggs." IN'eighbors do not like them, and look upon them 

 as a sign of "bad luck." They were often seen five miles from the 

 rock, and were Icuown by their harsh croak. They fly very high. They 

 may still be found in other southern counties of the State. From 

 northern Indiana, however, T have no recent record. Mr. C. A. Stock- 

 bridge reported them as not uncommon in the eastern part of Allen 

 County the winter of 1890-91. Mr. J.. E. Beasley said, in 1894, it was 

 a rare winter visitor in Boone County. . He informs me none have been 

 seen there since. Dr. A. W. Brajrton, in 1879, said: "It frequents the 

 sandhills along the shores of Lake Michigan from October until spring, 

 eating the dead fish thrown up by the lake." (Trans. Ind. Hort. Soc, 

 1879, p. 129). Mr. C. E. Aiken informs me he saw it in Lake County 

 in 1871. The opinion in southern Michigan is that this bird has been 

 replaced by the crow, that the Raven was common there up to 35 or 

 40 years ago, and steadily faded out before the smaller species (Cook, 

 Birds of Mich., p. 100). 



So far as I can learn, the last Ravens were seen in Franklin County 

 in 1868. I know of no records later for any part of southeastern In- 

 dian n. Throughout portions of the western United States they are still 

 common. Major Bendire says of it: "Although a good deal has been 

 written reflecting on the Raven, my personal observations compel me 

 to consider it a rather orderly member of a somewhat disreputable 

 family group." He further says: "Their ordinary call-note is a loud 

 "craak-craalf," varied sometimes by a deep grunting, "koerr-koerr." 

 and, again, by a clucking, a sort of self-satisfied sound, difficult to 

 reproduce on paper; in fact, they utter a variety of notes when at ease 

 and undisturbed" (L. H. IT. A. B., H., p. 397). 



