3. coRvus. 21 



coverts, and secondaries ; the primary coverts, bastard wing, and 

 outer aspect of the primaries steel-green, with which colour the 

 other quills are shaded on the inner web ; tail-feathers black, ex- 

 ternally glossed with violet and with steel-green on the inner web ; 

 head glossy black, slightly shaded with violet on the crown, and 

 with a decided greenish cast on the sides of the face and the neck ; 

 under surface of body blue-black, slightly shaded with violet under 

 certain lights ; the plumes of the throat slightly lanceolate, greenish 

 black, with a purplish lustre on the lower ones ; bill and legs black. 

 Total length 18 inches, culmen 2-35, wing 11-2, tail 6-8, tarsus 2-1, 

 Ohs. Mr. Hume has treated of the difiicult question of this Crow 

 with his usual ability in ' Lahore to Yarkand ;' but I cannot agree 

 with him entirely ; and I believe that when he re-examines his series 

 he will find that Dr. Jerdon was quite right in admitting Corvus 

 intennedius as a distinct species from C. levaiUanti, as will be seen 

 below ; the bird which I call 0. crdminatus (and with which C. in- 

 termedius is identical) is not confined to the Himalayas, but is 

 spread all over India ; and, further. Dr. Jerdon was very nearly 

 right in saying that it is "■ no larger than C. sjjhndens." The full 

 range of the species and the value of the differences advanced in the 

 present work will have to be left to Mr. Hume and his coadjutors 

 to work out in the field. The following are the measurements of 

 our series of C. culminatus : — 



Total 



lengtli. Culmen. Wing. Tail. Tarsus, 

 in. in. in. in. in. 



1. Deccan (Sykes) 18-5 2-6 11-5 6-5 2-2 



2. Madras 18-0 2-35 11-2 6-8 2-1 



3. Himalavas 16-0 2-15 11-85 7-5 2-1 



4. Behar (Hodqsmi) 16-0 2-5 11-7 7-0 2-1 



5. Nepal {Hodgson) 16-0 2-35 11-0 7-2 2-1 



Hah. Indian peninsula. 



a. Ad. sk. Nepal. B. H. Hodgson, Esq. 



h. Ad. sk. Behar. B. H. Hodgson, Esq. 



c. Ad. sk. Himalayas. 



d. Ad. sk. Madras. 



e. Ad. sk. Deccan (Sykes), Secretaiy of State for India [P.]. 



6. Corvus torqiiatus. 

 Corvus torquatus, Zess. Trade, p. 328 * ; Grm/, Hand-l. B. ii. p. 13 ; 



David, N. Arch. Mus. vii. Bull. p. 9; Swmh. P. Z. S. 1871, p. 383. 

 Corvus pectoralis, Horsf. Sf Moore, Cat. B. Mus. B.I. Co. ii. p. 557 ; 



Schl. Mus. P.-B. Coraces, p. 5. 



AduU. General colour above black with a purplish gloss, the 

 wings and taU with a very slight shade of steel-green in certain 

 lights ; under surface of body black, very slightly glossed with 



* Lesson's clescriptiou shows that this is the species intended by him, not- 

 withstanding that lie gives Australia as the locality. Besides, Professor Sehlegel 

 states {l-c) that the Leiden Museum received a specimen from the Paris 

 Museum labelled C. torquatus. 



