CORY US. 27 



haunts keeping to very restricted areas, the races which have 

 taken to scavenging cities and villages for food probably travel 

 over very wide areas in the non-breeding season and the result of 

 this habit is that we are often faced with conflicting measurements 

 from the same locality. 



It is most noticeable in the geographical races of this Crow that 

 the eggs are more easily differentiated than the birds themselves. 



(5) Corvus coronoides levaillanti. 



THE INDIA.N JIGGLE-CROW. 



Corvus levaillanti Less., Traite d'Orn., p. 328 (1831) (Bengal). 

 Corvus macrorhynchus. Blauf. & Gates, i, p. 17. 



Vernacular names. The Indian Corby, the Slender-billed Croiv, 

 Jerdon; DJiaror Uhal-Kawa (Hindi in the Xorth); Karrial (Hindi); 

 Dad-Kawa, Jwigli-Kawa (Bengali). 



Description. Upper plumage glossy black, except the hind 

 neck and sides of neck, which are almost glossless, and of which 

 the feathers are disintegrated and silky, not of the intense black 

 of the other parts, and with the shafts not conspicuously different 

 from the webs. 



Colours of soft parts. Iris brown, or very dark almost black- 

 brown ; legs, feet and bill black. 



Measurements. Length from about 430 to 510 mm. (about 

 17 to 20 inches); tail about 170 to 200 mm.; wing about 

 304 mm., but varying from about 290 to 330 mm. ; culmen 

 about 60 mm. 



Distribution. The Common Indian Jungle-Crow extends over 

 the whole of India south of the Himalayas, as far South as the 

 Decoan and on the East to about the latitude of the Madras 

 Presidency. To the North-east it is found up to the Bay of 

 Bengal, but east of the Brahmaputra its place is taken by the 

 Burmese form. 



Nidification. The breeding season of this race of Jungle- 

 Crow over the greater portion of its habitat is from the middle of 

 December to the middle of January but in the north-eastern 

 portion of its range, such as Behar, Oudh, etc., it appears to lay 

 in March and April. The nest is a very well-made neat cup of 

 small and pliant twigs, much and compactly intermixed with 

 leaves, moss, etc., and well lined with hair, grass or wool. It is 

 generally placed high up in some tree away from villages and 

 towns but may occasionally also be found building right inside the 

 streets of big cities. 



The eggs number four or five, rarely six, and are quite typical 

 Crows' eggs, but, compared with those of the hill races, are much 

 smaller and much paler in general tint. In shape also they 

 average longer in proportion. One hundred eggs average 39'6 x 

 28-9 mm. 



