CORVUS. 6 



Corvus bennetti. 



SMALL-]iILLED CROW. 

 Corvns bennetti, North, Vict. Nat., Vol. XVI [., p. 170 (I'.tOl). 



Adult male — General colour above and b-'.lo/v black qlossed ivith purph : primaries and lail- 

 J'eathers black, sli/jhtly /cashed iiHth bronzy-'jreeii : bases of the feathers on the upper parts sJiuw-tvhile ; 

 bill and legs black- : "iris ivhite" (Bennett). 'J'otal lentjth 16 indies, tcinq 1 '■■',, tail 7'-J, bill 1'85, 

 tarsus 2 2. 



Adult female — Similar in plumage to the male. 



Distribution. — Western New South Wales, \^ictoria, South Australia. 



HEAD OF SMALL-BILLED CROW. HEAD OF HAZEL-EYED CROW. 



/■ |;^HERE are two very distinct species of the genus Corvus, inhabiting Australia. In the 

 JL original description of C. coronoides, in the " Transactions of the Linnean Society of 

 London," •' the measurements there gi\en by \'igors and Horsfield are as follows : — Total 

 length 22 inches, wing 14, tail 9, bill 2'3, tarsus 2-3. The locality where it was obtained is not 

 given, but as it formed part of a collection made by Mr. Caley in the early days of the settlement 

 of the State, it was probably procured near Parramatta. Examples in the Museum collection 

 from New South Wales, from Port Darwin, and from Wide Bay, and Eraser's Island, in Queens- 

 land, are about the same average measurement, and are easily distinguished from C. bennetti by 

 their larger and more powerful bill, and stronger tarsi. The iris too in those birds from Port 

 Darwin and Queensland was noted by their respective collectors, Mr. A. ?iIorton, Mr. G. Masters, 

 and Mr. J. A. Thorpe as being brown. 



The specimens from which the description of the present species was taken, were all collected 

 by my esteemed friend the late Mr. K. H. Bennett, to whom I am deeply indebted for 

 information on this, and many other species, in August 1883, at IMoolah, in the Western 

 District of New South Wales, and I have much pleasure in associating specifically the name of 

 one who, by his field work and observations, contributed so largely towards completing a know- 

 ledge of the .Vustralian avifauna. C. bennetti, which is also found in \'ictoria and South Australia, 

 may be distinguished principally by its much smaller and straighter bill, and more slender tarsi ; 

 also, by its smaller average measurements, and by having the iris pure white in the adults of 

 both sexes. As a rule in closely allied species, or races, the smaller representative is usually 

 found in the northern portion of the continent, but in the present instance this order is reversed. 



The drawings abo\e are taken from a photograph, to show the relative size of the 

 bills of the two species. 



Of the Small-billed Crow the late Mr. K. H. Bennett wrote as follows in his MS. notes: — 

 " This species differs from Corone australis in its much smaller size, and in having the con- 

 cealed portions of the body feathers white, instead of dusky or blackish ; the note also is very 

 different. Although sometimes found in company with the Raven, it is seldom seen on the 



* Trans. Linn. Soc. Vol. xv., p. 261 (1826). 



