22 Mr. J. A. Bucknill on the 



and black on the breast seems cut very sharply. We took 

 many eggs from the 4th of April up to the 18th of May, 

 finding them in all stages of incubation during that period ; 

 the usual complement is five, but we obtained more than one 

 clutch of six. We noticed at once a peculiarity observed by 

 Miiller, that all the eggs are at the lowest edge of the range 

 of size, the average of fifteen specimens being only 1*57 x 

 1"1 inch. Otherwise the eggs are typical, but we took 

 four in a clutch of six which were pale blue, without any 

 markings. I have not yet found this species, as one would 

 perhaps expect, acting as host to the Great Spotted Cuckoo. 



ft should perhaps be mentioned that Guillemard writes, on 

 his first visit, of " Carrion Crows/' but the expression Mas 

 no doubt not used, as has been erroneously thought, to 

 refer to Corvus corone Linn., the Black or " Carrion " Crow, 

 so-called in England, as this bird is not found in Cyprus. 



Madarasz tentatively places the Cypriote bird between 

 C. sharpii Oates and C. capellanus Sclater. 



604. Corvus corax Linn. 



The Raven is a common resident, and generally distri- 

 buted throughout the island. During the summer months a 

 great many congregate near the camp on Troodos, attracted 

 no doubt by the slaughter house and refuse, and there 

 I have frequently counted over fifty in the air together. 

 They are always ready to play with or mob any Eagle, large 

 Hawk, or even Vulture which may come their way, and 

 their agility on the wing is surprising. They nest early, and 

 Horsbrugh and I took a slightly incubated clutch of six eggs 

 on the 13th of March, 1909, near ^Nicosia; they are typical 

 in colour but distinctly small, the average being l'79x 

 1*31 inch. The female, which I shot from the nest, was also 

 rather small, but otherwise in no way remarkable ; her crop 

 was full of coleoptera. Lord Lilford remarks that his speci- 

 mens from Cyprus varied considerably, inter se, in dimen- 

 sions, were very stout-billed, and had all some umber-brown 

 feathers in the wings, shewing some affinity to C. umbrinus 

 Sundcvall and C. tingitanus Irby (C leptonyx Peale). 



