CORVID^ 133 



Relation de Vile Eodrique, there occurs the following 

 (translated) paragraph on p. 835 : ' A little bird is found, 

 which is not very common, for it is not found on the 

 mainland. One sees it on the I.det an Mat, which is 

 to the south of the main island, and I believe it keeps 

 to that islet on account of the birds of prey which are 

 on the mainland, as also to feed with more facility on the 

 eggs of the fishing birds which breed there, for they feed on 

 nothing else but eggs, or some turtles dead with hunger, 

 which they well know how to tear out of their shells. These 

 birds are a little larger than a Blackbird, and have white 

 plumage, part of wings and tail black, the beak yellow, as well 

 as the feet, and make a wonderful warbling. I say a warbling, 

 since they have many and altogether different notes. We 

 brought up some with cooked meat, cut up very small, which 

 they eat in preference to seeds.' " 



Francois Leguat was on the Islet de Mat in about 1830, 

 and Verreaux visited Madagascar in 183'2, so it appears to 

 me quite as probable that the type was one of Leguat's 

 specimens, which he reared on cooked meat, as that it was 

 ever a native of the Island of Madagascar. 



Family III. COEVID^. 



Bill with a notch Dear the tip of the upper mandible ; nostrils covered 

 with strong bristles unless the front of the head is bare. Wings long and 

 pointed ; first primary scarcely extending beyond the primary-coverts. Tail 

 variable, generally square or rounded, and shorter than the wing when it 

 consists of twelve feathers, and longer and graduated when it is composed 

 of only ten feathers. Tarsi, feet and claws fairly strong. 



The young are similar in plumage to the adults, but duller. They are 

 omnivorous, and often gregarious. The nests arc cup-shaped, placed among 

 the boughs of trees, on rocks or in holes. The eggs, generally five in a nest, 

 are spotted, and usually have a bluish ground colour. 



