THE RAVEN. 9 



CORVUS CORAX 



I . Corvus corax corax L. — ^THE RAVEN, 



CoRvus Corax Linnaeus, Syst. Nat., ed. x, i, p. 105 (1758 — Europe. 



Restricted typical locality : Sweden). 



Cjrvus corax Linnaeus, Yarrell, ii, p. 259 ; Saunders, p. 241. 



A. Raven (Corvus c. corax 



B. Carrion-Crow (C. c. corone). 



Description. — Adult male and female. Winter. — Whole plumage 

 black ; nasal and rictal bristles glossy-black ; crown glossed 

 greenish or purpUsh ; back of neck and ear-coverts greenish-black ; 

 mantle, scapulars, back and upper tail-coverts glossed blue or 

 shghtly reddish-purjDle ; chm glossed green ; tliroat and upper- 

 breast usually more reddish-purple (feathers of throat long, 

 narrow, and lance-shaped) ; rest of under-parts glossed green or 

 blue-purple ; axillaries and under wing-coverts brown-black, 

 glossed blue and reddish-purple ; tail glossed green and reddish- 

 purple ; outer primaries, primary-coverts, and bastard-wing glossed 

 green, inner primaries more bluish ; secondaries and all wing- 

 coverts glossed reddish-purple ; under-down and feather-bases 

 brownish- white like Rook. This plumage is acquired by complete 

 moult from August to October. Summer. — ^No moult. Abrasion 

 makes whole bird less glossy and wings and tail especially become 

 browner. 



Nestling. — ^Down, mouse-brown, plentiful ; distribution, occi- 

 pital, humeral, spinal, femoral, ventral (description from skin). 



Juvenile. — Upper-parts brown-black with little gloss compared 

 to adult ; under-parts brown with some greenish gloss on chin but 

 with scarcely any on rest of under-parts ; tail, wings, and wing- 

 coverts much as in adult but not so brightly glossed. 



