Interior of British North America. 85 
portion, that there were upwards of fifty at that one spot: I shot 
one, which I preserved (‘ Ibis,’ vol. iv. p. 7). 1 found that this 
was a regular roosting-place, and my friends continued to use it 
during the entire winter. What also interested me was the won¬ 
derful regularity with which they repaired to their roosting-place 
in the evening, and left it again in the morning, by couples, for 
their day's hunt. One pair used to fly directly over the fort 
regularly every morning; and as I sat watching for the minute- 
hand of the chronometer to come round to the hour of observa¬ 
tion for the magnetic instruments, they would give a croak or 
two as a morning salutation,—at any rate I gave them credit for 
such civility, and noting the time, I found it the same, within 
two or three minutes; but as the days lengthened, it became a little 
earlier and earlier each morning. On a cloudy or unusually cold 
morning they were sometimes a few minutes late, but their usual 
time was, as near as possible, half an hour before sunrise. In 
March I observed that the Ravens became restless, and were 
often to be seen chasing one another in the air, and wheeling 
about in circles. I also, on some occasions, heard very prolonged 
croaks—more, in fact, approaching to cawing, and I judged that 
these signs were indicative of the approaching love-season. In 
April they paired off, and the roosting-place spoken of became 
deserted. I should be glad to discover if this habit of congre¬ 
gating in winter has been observed in any other species. During 
an excursion which I made on the prairies about a hundred 
miles south-west of Fort Carlton, in company with a party of 
hunters who went out to obtain buffalo-meat for the fort, I found 
several nests of the Raven, with eggs. One was in a small tree 
close to a lake, and not more than fifteen feet above it; it con¬ 
tained six eggs, was about a foot in diameter, composed of sticks, 
and lined with buffalo-hair and, what may seem rather singular, 
pieces of scarlet cloth ; but these latter had doubtless been picked 
up about the Indian camping-grounds. 
83. CoRVUS AMERICANUS. 
I was never fortunate enough to obtain a specimen of the 
<f Barking Crow," or “ Rook," as this bird is called, on the Sas- 
kat.chawan, where it is only a summer visitor; M. Bourgeau, 
however, captured one with its eggs (‘Ibis/ vol. iv. p. 7). I 
