CORVUS. Oe 
> (2) Corvus corax tibetanus. 
THe Trper Raven. 
Corvus tibetanus Hodgs., Ann. Mag. N. EL, (2) iii, p. 203 (1849) 
(Tibet). 
Corvus corax. Blanf. & Oates, i, p. 14. 
Vernacular names. V'he Tibet Raven, Jerd.; Neka-wak (Tibetan), 
Description. A much bigger, more powerful bird than the 
Punjab Raven, with a bigger bill and the lanceolate hackles of the 
throat much longer and more pointed than in that bird. 
Measurements. Wing from about 480 to 530 mm., nearly 
always between 490 and 510 mm. Culmen about 80 mm. and 
running up to 85 mm. 
Distribution. The Himalayas from Kashmir to Eastern Tibet, 
including Sikkim, Bhutan and the hills north of the Brahmaputra 
in Assam. 
Nidification. The breeding season of this fine Raven appears to 
be from early March to the middie of April and the eggs are 
generally laid whilst the whole country is still under snow. It 
appears to nest both in cliffs and in stunted trees and is not un- 
common on the great Gyantse Plateau at 12,000 to 14,000 feet, 
nesting on the willows and thorn-trees. Mandelli also took its 
nest in Sikkim. ‘The eggs number three to five in a clutch and 
taken as a series are very different from those of either lawrencei or 
ruficollis. In general colour they are very dull, brown eggs; the 
ground-colour is much less blue or green-blue and the markings 
are more numerous, yet smaller and less bold in character. 
Twenty eggs average 49°0 x 35°6mm. A broader, bigger egg 
than that laid by either of our other Indian Ravens, though we 
have but few to judge from. 
Habits. The Tibet Raven is a bird of lofty regions, being met 
with up to 18,000 feet in the summer and seldom below 9,000 feet 
even in mid-winter. Its note is said to bea harsher, deeper croak 
than that of the Punjab Raven, and over most of its range it is a 
much shyer, wilder bird, though it is said to haunt the vicinity of 
villages in Tibet. It was also reported as common all along the 
route taken by the Military Expedition to Lhassa, frequenting 
the camps, feeding on the animals that died on the march and 
acting as regular scavengers. 
(5) Corvus corax ruficollis. 
THE BROWN-NECKED RAVEN. 
Corvus ruficollis Lesson, Traité d’Orn., p. 329 (1831) (Africa). 
Corvus umbrinus. Blantf. & Oates, i, p. 15. 
Vernacular names. None recorded. 
Description. Differs from other Indian forms of Rayen in 
