Young Raven, as he was flying over the Arctic coast, spotted another bird on the beach--an eider duck. As Raven landed and skidded nearer to the stranger, he said, "Hello, Lady Bird."

"Hello, Mr. Raven. I'll share my lunch with you."

"Thank you. I had a big breakfast this morning. In fact, I was searching for some seals which the high tide usually beaches on the shore."

"I'm a sea diver. My family subsists on shellfish, and you?"

"The sea mammals, and land animals as well. I'm a good hunter, Lady Bird. Isn't this a beautiful day up here? Do you have a family?"

"No, not yet. When I'm of age, Mamma said, I'll possibly have a family. How about you?"

"That's what my parents tell me, too." They both laughed.

"If you gather a pile of shellfish, I can haul them for you and bury them under the sand on the beach for you."

"That's a very nice idea," she agreed, and added, "Please put a landmark near the mound, so I can find it easily." Thereafter, they became companions for the rest of the spring. Soon, the snow and ice melted; and, as it did, love for each other bloomed--and so suddenly! Then, one pleasant evening, young Raven asked a special question, "Will you be my wife? I'll help you when you build our nest."

And to his surprise, she accepted his proposal. Raven was so happy that he danced around his bride, the eider duck lady. From that day on, they lived together happily. Moreover, as he had promised, he was helpful to her and protected his family of five little ducklings. Three of them were brown like the mother, and the two male birds were identical to their father. They had black feathers and orange-colored claws.

As Mrs. Raven watched her children growing up, they continued to resemble their parents. The three ducklings looked and behaved like her, and the other two like their father. In the late fall, their children reached adulthood.

Some fowl migrate from the north to the south where it is warmer in climate. One cold day, Mrs. Raven explained to her children about the migration of some birds, "We cannot live in our summer homes when winter comes, children. If you wish to move away with me, you can follow me as I fly southward over the ocean. You see, your father lives up here all year, but I don't because it is too cold and the ocean freezes where I get my food. If all of you wish to fly with me, let me know this evening. We'll leave early tomorrow morning. Is that all right, Father?" "Yes, the boys and I will have to decide. I think I'll just go along as far as I can, boys, and you can go along with Mama. You might freeze to death up here. Anyways, we'll all meet again to spend the summer here."

The children decided to fly south. Though their father felt bad, he did not show it. He said, "I'll fly with you above the coastline as far south as Tikigaq, Point Hope, which is on a peninsula on the Chukchi Strait." "Yes, Dad," a son replied, "Mother and we children can spend a day and a night with you on the beach, eh boys?" They all left next morning. It took them five hours to reach Tikigaq, where the Eskimos live. During the evening, Father Raven said, "I will fly out to the ocean to say goodbye to my family, then return to the land." This plan made his family feel happier.