﻿Lieut. 
  H. 
  E. 
  Barnes 
  on 
  the 
  Birds 
  of 
  Aden. 
  79 
  

  

  remains 
  quite 
  up 
  to 
  the 
  commencement 
  of 
  tlic 
  hot 
  weather. 
  

   I 
  have 
  not 
  noticed 
  them 
  at 
  any 
  other 
  time. 
  

  

  52. 
  MoTACiLLA 
  lELDEGGi, 
  Michah. 
  

  

  I 
  have 
  occasionally 
  met 
  with 
  the 
  Black-headed 
  Wagtail 
  on 
  

   the 
  Malla 
  Plain^ 
  and 
  have 
  seen 
  it 
  once 
  or 
  twice 
  in 
  Goldmore 
  

   Valley, 
  but 
  I 
  believe 
  it 
  is 
  more 
  common 
  inland. 
  Of 
  course 
  

   it 
  only 
  occurs 
  in 
  the 
  cold 
  weather. 
  

  

  53. 
  CoRVus 
  cuLMiNATUs^ 
  Sykes 
  (?). 
  

  

  I 
  remember 
  when 
  I 
  first 
  came 
  to 
  Adeu^ 
  in 
  18GG, 
  there 
  

   were 
  usually 
  three 
  or 
  four 
  Crows 
  to 
  be 
  seen 
  at 
  the 
  Isthmus 
  : 
  

   they 
  seldom 
  visited 
  any 
  other 
  portion 
  of 
  the 
  Peninsula; 
  

   now, 
  in 
  1892, 
  they 
  may 
  be 
  frequently 
  met 
  with 
  in 
  other 
  

   parts, 
  but 
  never 
  more 
  than 
  one 
  or 
  two 
  together. 
  

  

  They 
  were 
  stated 
  never 
  to 
  breed, 
  owing 
  (it 
  was 
  said) 
  to 
  

   their 
  all 
  belonging 
  to 
  the 
  sterner 
  sex 
  ; 
  they 
  were 
  understood 
  

   to 
  have 
  been 
  imported 
  some 
  20 
  years 
  previously 
  by 
  an 
  

   officer 
  of 
  the 
  Bombay 
  Infantry. 
  If 
  this 
  is 
  correct, 
  there 
  can 
  

   be 
  little 
  doubt 
  but 
  that 
  the 
  birds 
  are 
  Common 
  Jungle 
  Crows 
  

   of 
  India; 
  they 
  are 
  certainly 
  not 
  Corvus 
  splendens. 
  This 
  

   would 
  make 
  their 
  age 
  about 
  45 
  years 
  ; 
  which 
  is, 
  I 
  think, 
  

   rather 
  a 
  long 
  period 
  for 
  even 
  a 
  Crow 
  to 
  live. 
  They 
  seem 
  to 
  

   have 
  lost 
  the 
  usual 
  habits 
  of 
  the 
  Crow-tribe, 
  being 
  very 
  shy 
  

   and 
  retired 
  and 
  never 
  coming 
  near 
  the 
  barracks, 
  although 
  

   they 
  are 
  never 
  molested. 
  They 
  keep 
  as 
  a 
  rule 
  more 
  to 
  the 
  bare 
  

   rocky 
  hills 
  bordering 
  the 
  Isthmus 
  Plain, 
  living, 
  I 
  suppose, 
  

   principally 
  upon 
  locusts 
  and 
  lizards, 
  the 
  former 
  of 
  which 
  are 
  at 
  

   times 
  very 
  abundant. 
  They 
  are 
  frequently 
  seen 
  on 
  the 
  sea- 
  

   shore 
  searching 
  among 
  the 
  debris 
  left 
  by 
  the 
  receding 
  tide, 
  

   and 
  are 
  often 
  rewarded 
  by 
  a 
  succulent 
  morsel, 
  in 
  the 
  shape 
  

   of 
  the 
  half-rotten 
  entrails 
  of 
  the 
  large 
  horse 
  mackerel 
  or 
  

   head 
  of 
  a 
  common 
  shark. 
  The 
  fishermen 
  clean 
  their 
  fish 
  

   before 
  landing, 
  and, 
  immediately 
  on 
  the 
  capture 
  of 
  a 
  shark 
  

   or 
  dogfish, 
  cut 
  off" 
  the 
  head 
  and 
  throw 
  it 
  into 
  the 
  sea, 
  and 
  

   this 
  it 
  is 
  that 
  keeps 
  the 
  wild 
  dogs 
  and 
  foxes 
  alive. 
  

  

  At 
  the 
  time 
  I 
  am 
  speaking 
  of, 
  no 
  other 
  Crows, 
  except 
  

   these 
  few, 
  were 
  ever 
  seen 
  ; 
  but 
  soon 
  after 
  the 
  viaduct 
  was 
  

   constructed 
  from 
  Shaik 
  Othman 
  to 
  the 
  Isthmus 
  they 
  became 
  

  

  