G28 Col. R. Meinertzliagen on Birds from [Ibis, 



It is curious tbat Stresemann (Avif. Macedon.) should 

 have recognized the small southern race of the Hooded Crow 

 as coming from the Balkans to Sj'ria, Palestine, and Egypt, 

 but should have united them with the Cyprus bird under the 

 name Corvus corone pallescens (Mad.). In fresh autumn 

 plumage the Cyprus bird is much paler than birds from the 

 Balkans, Syria, Palestine, and Egypt (and Sardinia), and 

 must be recognized as a geographical race under the name 



Corvus comix pallescens (Mad.). 



Cretan birds appear similar to those from Cyprus in 

 colour but are much larger, resembling more Corinis comix 

 comix in size : 



4 S ■ Wing 316-327 ; cnlmen, length 55-61, height 20-22 ; 



1 ? . Wing 313 ; culmen, length 56, height 20 ; 

 and I have already described this bird as 



Corvus comix minos Meinortz. Bull. B. 0. C. xli. 1920, p. 19. 



In conclusion I recognize the following races of Hooded 

 Crow : — 



Corvus comix comix L. — Large and dark. Northern, 



western, and central Europe. 

 Corvus comix sardonius Kleinschm. — Small and dark. 

 Sardinia, Corsica, probably Sicily, Balkans, 

 probably Asia Minor, Syria*, Palestine, and Egyptf. 



* In Syria the Hooded Crow is a common resident at Aleppo, 

 Damascus, and Baalbek, but not in the Lebanon or Syrian Desert. On 

 the coast thej' do not seem to occur north of Sidon or south and west of 

 Khau Yunus (near Gaza). They are absent from Galilee, the Yarmuk 

 Valley, .and the northern Jordan Valley. Not seen south of Hebron. 

 Common in coastal Palestine, the Judfean hifjhlauds north to Nablus, 

 and in the Lower Jordan Valley near Jericho. Apparently common in 

 Transjordaniaaud on the Moab Plateau. (Tristram, Survey of Palestine.) 



t In Egypt the Hooded Crow is confined to the Delta, and not to all of 

 that. Absent from the Suez Canal throughout its length, and does not 

 seem to occur much east of Tel-el-Kebir. In the western Delta they 

 are gradually extending their range towards Alexandria, but so far have 

 not reached that place by a few miles. The southern limit up the Nile is 

 not yet known for certain, but tliey certainly occur as far south as 

 Assouan. 



