Ornithology of Gilgit. 571 



posed difference in habit referred to {antea, p. 77) is merely 

 due to season : in winter these Crows affect the lower valleys, 

 are gregarious, and circle about in the air in a fashion that 

 has often been described ; in summer they are found at higher 

 elevations, and then, of course, mostly associate in pairs, as 

 they are breeding. As to the small size o£ some of Major 

 Biddulph's specimens, I suggest that these were females, and 

 possibly with the wings and tail not fully grown. It is sin- 

 gular that a large proportion of these Crows in collections are 

 moulting the wing- and tail-feathers, so that, without a care- 

 ful examination of these parts, some examples may easily be 

 considered so small as to represent a distinct race. 



My series of this Crow from Gilgit agrees perfectly with 

 Mr. Sharpe's description of Corone levaiUanti (Cat. iii. p. 39). 

 I do not think that the separation of Corone and Corvus as 

 genera, as advocated by Mr. Sharpe (Cat. iii. p. 5) can be 

 maintained on the shape of the wings. I find two specimens 

 of C. sinensis (which is the same as C. levaiUanti, and should 

 be referred to Corone, according to Sharpe) with the wing of 

 Corvus, i. e. first primary equal to longest secondaries ; while 

 the type of C. culminatus (which is Corvus apud Sharpe) has 

 the first primary about an inch shorter than the longest 

 secondaries, and would therefore fall under Corone. 



138. Corvus umbrinus, Hedenb. 



I think it very improbable that this species occurs in Gilgit. 

 C. umhrinus is essentially a bird of the desert and of low ele- 

 vations, and is therefore not at all likely to be found in a 

 highly mountainous country at an elevation of 12000 feet. 

 I never saw any true Raven in the Gilgit district ; but some 

 examples of C. corax may possibly stray there occasionally. 



139. Corvus frugilegus, Linn. 



The Rook is common in the district from the third week in 

 October to the third week in April. It keeps aloof from the 

 Crows, but associates amicably with the Jackdaws and Star- 

 lings, the two latter being often found in a flock of Rooks. 

 The Gilgit birds agree perfectly with specimens from England 

 and Turkestan. 



