COBVTTS CORAS TINGITANUS 17 



lighter portions of its plumage nearly white, while still further east 

 in the Asiatic continent another form occurs in which these parts are 

 drab-grey. The former has been named C. capellanus, Sclater, and 

 the latter C. sharpii, Gates. 



Neither the Carrion-Crow nor the Eook, so far as I am aware, 

 have been recorded as occurring in Tunisia, but according to Loche 

 both species have been met with on passage in Algeria, and they may 

 therefore be found in the Eegency also. 



As recently pointed out by me {Ihis, 1904, p. 477), both G. corone 

 and C. fnigilegus occur in Sicily in winter, but they do not appear 

 to breed there. The occurrence of the former species in Sicily had 

 previously been considered as extremely doubtful. 



CORYUS CORAX TINGITANUS (Irby). 

 IRBY'S EAVEN. 



Corvus tingitanus, Irhy, Ibis, 1874, p. 2G4 ; Koenig, J.f. 0. 1892, p. 372 ; 



Whitaker, Ibis, 1894, p. 95 ; Eiianger, J. f. 0. 1899, p. 493. 

 Corvus corax, Malherbe, Cat. Rais. d'Ois. Alg. p. 7 (1846) ; Loche, Expl. 



Sci. Alg. Ois. i, p. 108 (1867) ; Komig, J.f. 0. 1888, p. 175. 



Description. — Adult male, spring, from Djebel Semama, Central Tunisia. 



Entire plumage glossy black, with brownish reflections on the head and 

 nape, and violet-purple reflections on the rest of the upper parts, and on the 

 throat, where the feathers are lanceolate, and, to a slight extent, bifurcate ; 

 bill deep and curved. 



Iris dark brown ; bill and feet black. 



Total length 22 inches, wing 15'50, culmen from gape 2-50, height of 

 culmen at base I'lO ; tarsus 2-75. 



Adult female similar to the male, but slightly smaller in size. 



The young are duller in colouring, and the iris pale grey. The winter 

 plumage is less glossy, and at times distinctly brownish. 



Observations. — There seems to be a considerable amount of individual 

 variation in the size of this Raven in Tunisia ; in some examples the wing 

 measures as much as 1650 inches, and is as long as that of many specimens 

 of C. corax, while in others it measures only 14 inches. The largest in- 

 dividuals in my collection come from Central Tunisian districts, and the 

 smallest from the south of the Eegency and the island of Djerba. Mr. 



2 VOL. II. 



