FURREEDPORE, EASTERN BENGAL. 289 



660.— *Corvus macrorhynchus, Wagler. 



Common, and a permanent resident. Occasionally found in 

 the clumps of jungle that are found about the country, which 

 the next species never affects. Breeds in the cold weather. I 

 had noticed a pair building- ou a Casuarina tree in my garden, 

 about 50 feet off the grouad, and on the 18th December 1877 

 I took two perfectly fresh eggs from it ; and again on the 9th 

 January 1878 I fouud two callow young in this same nest, the 

 birds never having deserted it. The lining used for this nest 

 was principally jute fibre — any tree is selected to build on — tho 

 nests are placed from 15 to 50 feet off the ground. Some nests 

 are very well concealed, whereas others are quite exposed. 

 On the i5th January I found a nest about 15 feet up a small 

 Kudum tree, standing in a large plain, and which had a lining 

 of hair from the tail tufts of cows. There was one fresh egg, 

 and a week later I got another fresh egg from this very nest. 

 From two to four eggs are in each nest. 



663.—* Corvus splendens, Vieill. 



Very common, and a permanent resident, affecting the 

 haunts of man. They build and lay in May. The Koel lays its 

 eggs in this bird's nest. In April 1876 I saw two nests, in the 

 compound of the house in which I live at Howrah, which were 

 made entirely of galvanised wire,* the thickest piece of which 

 was as thick as a slate pencil. How the birds managed to bend 

 these thick pieces of wire was a marvel to us ; not a stick was 

 incorporated with the wires, and the lining of the nest (which 

 was of the ordinary size) was jute and a few feathers. The 

 Railway goods yard, which was alongside the house, supplied 

 the wire, of which there was ever so much lying about there. 



674.— Dendrocitta rufa, Lath. 



23rd May 1878, Female. — Length, 16'0 ; expanse, 1825 ; 

 wing, 5'66 ; tail from vent, 8*75 ; tarsus, 1*16 ; bill from gape, 

 120 ; at front, 1*08 ; closed wings fall short of end of tail, 

 7'0 ; weight, 3*75 ozs. Irides bright chocolate; legs horny in 

 front, plumbeous behind ; claws horny ; orbits livid ; bill, base, 

 and gape light plumbeous ; rest, dark horny ; mouth, inside 

 bluish black ; ovaries minute. 



* Many years ago Blyth had a crow's nest sent him, which was composed entirely 

 of fine wire that had been used for wiring soda water bottles, but these nests 

 composed of comparatively thick wire, some of it about 5 or 6 guage, aud some of 

 the pieces so heavy you would hardly think a crow could fly off with them, are far 

 more wonderful,— Ed., S. F. 



