144 A FIRST LIST OF THE 



and size, but it is entirely black, with at most a somewhat dull 

 appearance about those parts which in our Indian Crows are a 

 pale brownish grey, or in very western examples pale greyish 

 white ; and, moreover, it has, it seems to me, a somewhat longer, 

 slenderer, and more compressed bill than impuclicus has ; no doubt 

 the grey portions of many of the Crows from the extreme west 

 and north-west of India are much purer and paler than birds 

 from Sambhur, Agra, and Cawnpore, and it might be supposed 

 from this analogy that as we proceeded further east these grey parts 

 became darker and duller, till at last in Pegu they disappeared 

 altogether ; but the little evidence which I possess on this subject 

 is adverse to such a conclusion, since specimens from Calcutta 

 and Dacca are identical with those from Sambhur. If in the 

 course of time, as the country is further explored, every inter- 

 mediate shade of coloring between, say, the Dacca and Thayet- 

 myo birds is found to be exhibited in intermediate localities, 

 then, notwithstanding the slight difference which appears to me 

 to exist in the bill, I should quite agree to consider the Pegu birds 

 a mere race of impudicus ; but if, on the contrary, no such con- 

 necting links be discoverable (and I can find no record of any 

 such ever having been observed), then I think that the Burmese 

 bird is entitled to specific separation, and might stand under 

 my name — C. insolens.* 



Mr. Oates remarks : " This Crow is very common, specially 

 in large villages and towns/' 



671 bis.— TJrocissa m&gmrostris, Bli/th— (Journal, 

 Asiatic Society, Bengal, 1846, Vol. XV, p. 27 : 

 Gould's B. A., Pt. XIII, PL 3). 



Mr. Blyth in characterising this species or race remarked as 

 follows : — 



" Resembles U. occipitalis, but is still more richly colored, 

 especially on the wings, the bill much larger than in others, and 

 a great naked space surrounding the eyes ; the legs and claws are 

 also large and strong; length of bill to gape 1*75 ; that of U. 

 occipitalis, barely exceeding T5, its depth and strength also con- 

 siderably greater ; inhabits the Yamadong Mountains, separating 

 Arracan from Pegu/' Subsequently Mr. Blyth doubted the 

 validity of this new species, but Mr. Gould, who obtained 

 an imperfect specimen from Bangkok, while carefully avoiding 

 all useful details, asserts that it is decidedly different from 

 U. occipitalis and every other species he has yet seen. I cannot 

 of course tell what the Bangkok bird may be like. Mr. Gould 

 figures it with a bill measuring 1*8 from gape to point. I dare say 



* See also Stray Featiieks, Vol. II, p. 479. 



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