CORONF. 



Whole plumage above and below glossy blue or steel black, glossed with 

 green ; the throat with purplish ; tail purplish black. 



Length. 19 to 19-5 inches; wings 12-16 to 13-3;; tail 7*8 to 8; oilmen 

 2*15 to 2*25 ; tarsus 2-5. 



Hab. Throughout Europe ; ranging into the Punjab and the N.-W. Pro- 

 vinces, It has as yet only been found in the Punjab, and on the borders of 

 the N.-W. Provinces. 



The Carrion Crow, as its name implies, feeds on all sorts of animal food, alive 

 and dead. Young pigeons, chickens, sparrows, Crustacea, shellfish, fruit, 

 vegetables, frogs, mice, and insects, it is very partial to, as well as garbage. 

 House refuse of every kind does not come amiss to it. It is a predaceous bird, 

 and a relentless destroyer of everything it can devour. Its sense of percep- 

 tion, too, is very acute. Nidificates on rocks or on trees, during March. Nest 

 of twigs, cemented with clay, and unsparingly lined with rags, grass, hair, wool, 

 or any other soft material within its reach. Eggs 4 6 in number, greenish 

 spotted, and streaked with various shades of brown. 



129. Corone macrorhynchus, Wagl. Syst. Av. Corvus, sp. 3; 



Hume, S. F. v. p. 461 ; Legge, Birds, Ceylon, p, 346 ; Hume, S. F. viii. p. 105. 

 Corvus Levaillantii, Les traite, p. 328; Hume, Nests and Eggs, p. 411 ; id. S. 

 F. ii. p, 295 ; Anderson, Yunnan Exped. p. 589. Corvus culminatus {Sykes), 

 Jerd, B. Ind. ii. p. 295. Corvus Vaillantii (Less), Bl. B. Bur?n. p. 86; Oa/es, 

 S. F. v. p. 159. Corone macrorhynchus, Sharpe, Cat. B. Br. Mus. iii. p. 38 ; 

 id. Cat. B. Br. Mus. iii. p. 39; Oates B. Br. Burmah, i. p. 397. The INDIAN 

 JUNGLE CROW. 



Whole upper plumage deep black glossed with purple, blue and green ; bill, 

 legs, and feet black ; irides dark brown. 



Length. 1910 21 inches; tail 7'6 to 9*2; wing i2'2 to 14; tarsus 2*3; 

 bill from gape 2*3. 



Hab. The whole Continent of India, Ceylon, Andaman Islands, the Indo- 

 Burmese countries and China, extending to Eastern Siberia. Southerly it ex- 

 tends down the Malayan Peninsula to Sumatra, Java, Borneo and Timor. 

 In India it is found in Sind, Punjab, N.-W. Provinces, Oudh, Rajputana, 

 Central India, the Central Provinces, Concan, Deccan and South India, also 

 in British Burmah and Nepaul. 



It will be seen that Levaillanti has been made a synonym of macrohynchus. 

 Sharpe makes the former a Sub.-Sp., but it must not stand thus. Hume has 

 worked out the Crows to some purpose, and like him, I am of opinion, that 

 these two cannot be specifically separated. Except from Kutch and Guzerat, 

 I have had specimens of this species from all parts of India for examination, 

 and not less than 13 from various parts of Burmah and Tennaserim, and 

 though in a few the pale bases to the feathers are apparent, in others it is either 

 absent, (though from one locality) or distributed here and there over different 

 parts of the body. This may be a sign of nonage. 

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