CORVUS. 723 



mm. The nest is a loosely constructed platform of tiber, mixed with a 

 few rootlets, etc." {Grant and Whitehead.) 



"The Philippine crow is very comm.on throughout the Islands, except 

 in the Palawan group, where it is lacking. It picks into young coconuts, 

 steals young pigeons, and even comes into the kitchens of the native 

 houses to steal. As a natural consequence, the bird is thoroughly de- 

 tested. Two males measure : Length, 546 ; wing, 314 ; tail, 210 ; culmen, 

 59 ; tarsus, 54 ; middle toe with claw, 53." {Bourns and Worcester MS.) 



Genus COEVUS Linngeus, 1758. 



First primary decidedly shorter than the outer secondaries, the latter 

 longer than any of the interior ones; tail very slightly rounded and 

 shorter than the longest secondary. 



Species. 



a\ Larger; wing, about 250 mm.; tail, 140; bill longer and more slender. 



pusillus ( p. 723 ) 

 a'. Smaller; wing, about 220 mm.; tail, 120; bill shorter and stouter. 



samarensis (p. 724) 



738. CORVUS PUSILLUS Tweeddale. 



LITTLE CROW. 



Corvus pusillus Tweeddale, Proc. Zool. Soc. (1878), 622; Gkant and 

 Whitehead, Ibis (1898), 234, pi. 6, fig. 5 (egg); Whitehead, Ibis 

 (1890), 100 (habits); McGregor and Worcester, Hand-List (1906), 

 110. 



Balabac (Everett) ; Calamianes {Bourns cG Worcester, McGregor) ; Mindoro 

 (Steere Exp., Schmacker, Bourns & Worcester, Whitehead, McGregor) ; Palawan 

 {Everett, Lempriere, Whitehead, Platen, Steere Exp., Bourns & Worcester, 

 Celestino, White ) . 



Adult. — Entirely black, faintly glossed with purple; bases of many 

 of the feathers drab-gray or white ; gloss on alula, primaries, and primary- 

 coverts dark green. A male from Mindoro measures : Wing, 250 ; tail, 

 135; culmen from base, 50; bill from nostril, 37; depth of bill at nostril, 

 18 ; tarsus, 44. A female from Mindoro, wing, .240 ; tail, 145 ; culmen 

 from base, 50; tarsus, 46. 



Steere collected a single egg of this species in Mindoro in June, 1888. 

 The egg, taken from the oviduct of female, is thus described: "Shape 

 ovate, rather rounded towards the smaller end. Ground-color pale 

 greenish white, finely spotted and dotted over the entire shell with 

 greenish brown and pale lavender. Measurements 38 mm. by 26 mm." 

 {Grant and Whitehead.) 



"The little crow is very common in Mindoro ; much rarer in Palawan 

 and the Calamianes Islands. Unlike Corone philippina, it is a very shy 

 bird. Its note sounds like that of an overgrown 'katy-did.' Iris dark 

 brown; legs, feet, nails, and bill black. A male from Culion measures, 



