84 
Capt. Blakiston on the Birds of the 
done by the outer tail-feathers being considerably elevated and 
closed inward abo^e the others, back to back. The eggs vary in 
the ground-colour from greenish blue to olive. My specimen 
( f Ibis/ vol. iv. p. 7) was from Fort Carlton. I have received one 
from Hudson's Ray; Mr. Donald Gunn has collected them at Red 
River Settlement, and Mr. Bernard Ross on the Mackenzie. 
82. CoRVUS CARNIVORUS. 
The American Raven (the “Crow" or “Corbeau" of the 
English and Canadian half-breeds, and the “ Ka-ka-kiu” of the 
Cree Indians) is very generally distributed throughout the 
northern interior, but seems most numerous on the buffalo plains 
of the west. Having lived nearly two years in the Indian 
country, L have had very frequent opportunities of observing the 
economy of the American bird, and must exonerate him from 
the stigma of exclusiveness which has been attached by naturalists 
to the family name from observation of his European brother. 
“ Brother Jonathan " certainly, on the western prairies, is by no 
means a solitary bird, nor do the Indians inhabiting that region 
seem to hold any ridiculous ideas of ill omen, or such like super¬ 
stitious notions, concerning him; it may be, that being better 
known, and his hoarse croak so often heard, both in times of plenty 
and seasons of want, he is regarded more as a familiar friend than 
anything else. During the day, the Raven is usually met with 
in pairs, except when the carcase of a dead animal draws a number 
together, or a general slaughter of buffaloes by the Indians affords 
a repast for all the wolves and ravens of the neighbourhood. 
At night, however, during winter, they repair to some chosen 
resting-place, usually a clump of trees on the edge of the prairie, 
and there roost in one immense body. One of such “ bedrooms " 
was only about a mile distant from Fort Carlton, and my attention 
was first drawn to it by noticing that all the Ravens which I saw 
about sunset, no matter where I happened to be, were invariably 
flying towards the same point. Having been out one day with 
my gun, I made a point of returning to the fort in the evening by 
that quarter; and I was surprised by finding a clump of aspen- 
trees, none of which were above twenty-five feet high, or thicker 
than one's arm, filled with Ravens, which on my near approach 
took wing and flew round and round. I judged, by counting a 
