76 



BULLETIN 153, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM 



Tabije 10. — Measurements of seven specimens of Corvus capensis capensis from 



Ethiopia 



are 318 to 380 mm. It looks as if both forms occur in the latter 

 country, the larger form probably in the highlands, the smaller one 

 lower down. This then, if true, would necessitate an examination 

 of Lichtenstein's type to see which race really is capensis^ a matter 

 that I am not able to follow up. 



With wear the feathers become somewhat bronzy in appearance 

 and the purplish-blue sheen becomes less noticeable. 



But little has been recorded of the habits of this bird in Ethiopia. 

 The breeding season appears to be during the northern spring if not 

 earlier. In Eritrea Zedlitz ^° found kordofatiensis breeding in sum- 

 mer. Mearns found mated pairs in January and, in fact, noted that 

 the female of the pair shot on January 18 near Saleish was a laying 

 bird. The eggs of this species are rather remarkable for crows in 

 that the predominant color is pink and not green. 



CORVUS CORAX EDITHAE Phillips 



Corvus edithae Phillips, Bull. Brit. Orn. Club, vol. 4, p. 36, 1895 : Somaliland 



(Hainwaina Plain). 

 Specimens collecteii: 



1 male, Yebo, Ethiopia, June 21, 1912. 



3 males, 1 female, Cbaffa, Ethiopia, June 25, 1912. 



4 males, 2 females, Hor, latitude 3°19' N., Kenya Colony, June 26-30, 1912. 

 1 male, 1 female, south end of Lake Rudolf, Kenya Colony, July 7, 1912. 



Soft parts : Iris brown ; bill and feet black. 



I follow Meinertzhagen ^^ in considering edithae as a race of Cor- 

 vits corax. It is very similar to Corvus corax ruflcollis but smaller, 

 with a shorter wing tip and a slenderer and shorter bill. Klein- 

 schmidt " has given a detailed account of the plumage variations of 

 this raven, and therefore only a few brief notes need be presented 

 here. The bases of the feathers of the breast are white in edithae, 

 while in rufjcoUis they are dusky, but in the former the purity of the 



™ Journ. fiir Orn., 1911, p. 4. 



■'I Nov. Zool., vol. ;i3, p. lOG, 1026. 



7- Journ. fiir Orn., 1906, pp. 87-90. 



