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season they are every bit as bad as the Carrion-crow at home and 

 are the worst poachers we have out here, doing more harm in the 

 robbing of eggs and young birds than any other of the numerous 

 vermin the East is blessed with. Their own nesting season is earlv 

 in the year, February and March being the two chief months, thouo-h 

 some birds may breed later for various reasons, and I have taken 

 their eggs as late as June. They are much warier than the house 

 crow in their nesting operations and never giving away their nests 

 in the same way. Most of them retire to some secluded spo: to raise 

 their families, but those in towns nest in any convenient big tree. 

 They build a large comp.ict nest, generally a good height up and lay 

 four or five greenish spotted eggs, very like the Carrion-crow s eggs. 

 Found all over Burma, and well up in the hills, but not so plentiful* 

 as in the low country, 



Burmese name — Taw-chegan. 

 (No. 4. Corvus macrorhynchus.) 



BURMESE HOUSE CROW. 



Mr. Corvus Insolens could have no better Latin name He has 

 no good or redeeming points, and is at the best, I suppose, a neces- 

 sary evil and must be endured like all the other nasty things we 

 seem to be blessed with in the Fast. He is a good bit smallePtkan 

 the Jungle crow and a much neater shaped bird, and rather a hand- 

 some one m his way, with his black coat and a dark brownish-o-rev 

 neck and wicked light-coloured eyes. He is very like his Indian 

 brother, whose neck is, however, a much paler grey which is much 

 more conspicuous; his "caw" is also quite distinct, and is verv 

 noticeable when one gets to Ceylon on the way home and hear the 

 Indian gentleman's voice. I suppose he must have been a true wild 

 bird once, I mean one that had to make his own living and not to 

 depend for one on man ; he has, however, lost all his wild iuno-je 

 habits and is never found away from the haunts of man. These birds 

 like plenty of their own company in all their goinas on and 

 thoroughly understand the act of mutual support They generallv 

 nest in colonies or in the same localities, and also roost too-ether 

 their going to bed operations being very noisy and lencrthy and 

 their nights often disturbed, when, let us hope, some owl o'^r cat crets 

 hold of one of their number. They begin nesting about the end of 

 February or beginning of March so as to have their young hatched 

 before the rams ; they build compact nests, laying three or four 

 greenish eggs with brown spots. Found all over Burma and the Shan 

 States about the towns and large villages, but never away from human 

 habitations. There are many small out-of-the-way villages not bless- 

 ed. with them. 



Burmese na.me~Chegan. 

 (No. 8. Corvus insolens). 



