48 



9. MICROCORAX. 



Head of Microcorax leucognaphahis. 

 Range. West-India Islands. 



Key to the Species*. 



a. Tarsus about equal to the culmen; feathers 



smoky grey at base. 

 a'. Plumage cinereous or plumbeous bro-wn ; 



head and neck only glossy jamaicensis, p. 4S, 



h'. Plumage glossy black, -with a \-iolet shade . . solitarius, p. 49. 



b. Tarsus much shorter than the biU. 



c'. Plumage white at base leucognaphahcs, p. 49. 



d'. Plumage smoky gi'ey at base nmicus, p. 49. 



1. Microcorax jamaicensis. 



Chattering Crow, Lath. Gen. Syn. i. p. 377. 



Corvus jamaicensis, Gm. S. N. i. p. 3G7; Gosse, B. Jamaica, p. 209 ; 



Scl. Cat. Am. B. p. 146; Grai/, Hand-l. B. ii. p. 13; Sd. ^- Salv. 



Nomencl. Av. Neotr. p. 40 ; Baird, Brewer, ^- Ridgw. N. Ainer. B. 



p. 234. 

 Corvus nasicus, Gray, Hand-l. B. ii. p. 13 {nee Te^nm.). 



Adult male. General colour aboTC cinereous brown, the bases of 

 all the feathers ashy ; wings and tail brown, slightly glossed with 

 violet ; head glossy blackish brown, the throat also blackish ; rest 

 of under surface of body cinereous brown ; bill and legs black. Total 

 length 16-5 inches, culmen 1-9, wing 9, tail 6-1, tarsus 1-85. 



Hah. Jamaica. 



a. Ad. sk. Jamaica. 



b. Ad. St. Jamaica. 



c. (f ad. sk. Moneague, .Jamaica ( W. 



T. March). 



d. Sternum. Jamaica. 



Purchased. 



P. H. Gosse, Esq. [C.]. 



Smithsonian Institution [P.]. 



P. H. Gosse,"Esq. [C.]. 



* Cf. also the " Key '' in ' North- American Birds ' (ii. p. 233), whence Bome 

 of the abore characters are derived. 



