The Alaska daily empire., 1915-03-22
learned ol lhe raVon.

iehrned ol Che raven
 n tho book published last year
 by the National Association of Apdu bon soclelies. upon Alaskan Bird-nle
 sho following lnterestins rcierencc@ 'ave made Co Che raven stu more
 conspicuous and generally distribot led is Che raven or which Mr. Whleti Igiges us g graphic Diclure-pleuaiul lon the streets Of Sitka and on the
 nearby beaches feeding on refuse
 and earrion They were also noted
 on iho cops Of the mountain ranges.
 where they were frequently seen play
 ns on che SHOW banks and glaciers.
 They would dig holes in the snow.
 and. lyins down In them would scratca
 iho snow over their backs with bin
 and wings. the coolness secured In
 this way evidently afloidiue them great enjoyment They frequently follow the eagles when they are hunt ing, probably in hopes of securing Q share of the prey On one occasion had Killed deer and left 1t a cou- pie oi hours. On my return the eyes and part of the intes,ines had been picked out by the ravens. The raven is very fond ol clans, analones. sea- urchins. and other shell tiah which are secured from the rocks at low tide The shells ore frequently found high up on the hin sides where they have been carried by the ravens. On one occasion Merrill watched 9 nun Der oi birds standing around 8 hos that was digging clans from lhe mud. As fast as the clans were brought Co the surface they were appropriat ed by the ravens"
 On page %. of Che same book isI this interesting reference: "The rav en wanders over tho entire Territory but is much le9s conspicuous and fa- miliar in the interior than on the coast It Is resident and Nelson gives a line picture of the part it plays in the terrible landscape and experience es Of mid-wnter life amid the wastes of the lower Yukon valley
 Again In speaking Of the landlords of the Meutian Islands, at the close of the chapter we find this solitary and notwithstanding sentence: Ray ! ems are numerous and busy every where. and are the scayengers or the and Turner and other his- iorians relate many curious incidents ! Of their intelligence and impudent i 
 A lady now residing in Juneau. tells l .his personal observation while living .n Sltka some years ego: 1.-Two or three ravens would be sitting on am arm Of the cross on the Episcopal church when another one would fly ID, light next to the center post. and in it up. In moment another would { come. light next to the post and i'm. crowd the outside off, when he line would set up great racket apparently enjoying hugely che joke 'n the outside one By the time they rad Quieted down another would light n and crowd another off and the hew- having would be repeated. This you'd go on for half an hour at a ime~ Though as familiar in our as the Sphinx in pictures f the Lower Nile his private life, as ar as his Alaskan history is concern d. is just as shrowded in mystery.
 Raven nests have probably been ound by prospectors and hunters, but 10 record has been made. # the ra- en Is Ike the crow in this respect he nesting win be early even as ary as April
 ! hope this article will tall into he hands of someone who is going ut in the timber this Spring and who rill keep his eyes open for the home f our black friend. am not in the abit of prying into the domestic hab- Is of others. but am sure the whole world would deeply ap' 'reciate some accurate information bout his private life Besides he is D danger Of being treated as a vag- ant unless someone will render him his service; for no one can be a each. .comber and general roustabout 'ithout his reputation suffering, un- sss society is made perfectly sure hat bis private life is at least re- s pectable.
 g-o-o