01 ,~^^^ 



^SO Birds of Celebes: Corvidae. 



In "The Malay Archipelago" 1869, I, 430, Mr. Wallace speaks of Charitornis 

 as a bird entoely confined to Celebes; the Celebesian Subregion should have 

 been said, for Charitornis probably does not occur in Celebes itself but is an 

 important Hnk between Sula and the mainland through Streptocitta. ' 



FAMILY CORVIDAE. 



The Crows may be distinguished from the Starlings by the long bristles 

 which sprout forward from the forehead in the former concealing the nostrils 

 and by the much larger first primary, which is about half as long as the wing' 

 The only other Celebes birds which might be confused with them are the 

 Campophagidae, which differ in having the shafts of the feathers of the rump 

 dense and stiffened, the Dicrrmdae, which have ten rectrices only, and the Oriolidae 

 m which the nostril is exposed. ' 



GENUS CO'RVUS L. 



The Crows have a glossy plumage of black, or black and grey, or black 

 and white. Nostril round, situated well behind the angle of the gonys con- 

 cealed by bristles. Wing long, the secondaries about % its length, the first 

 primary about equal to the secondaries. Tail moderate, nearly square. Tarsus 

 about equal to middle toe and claw, black. Sexes alike. 



Found almost everywhere, except in South America. 



^ 244. CORVUS ENCA Hoisf. 



:East-Indian Crow. 



Crows are omnivorous and, consequently, they are stationary birds in the 

 East Indies; yet, having few enemies, they are often excessively abundant, and 

 being endowed with great flying-powers and very sagacious in looking out for 

 themselves, they are less likely to be deterred by geographical barriers than many 

 other birds and an intermixture of birds in neighbouring localities seems to be 

 a matter of not unfrequent occui-rence. Moreover, individual variation is great 

 The birds seem to vary locally to a gi-eat extent, but it is impossible to separate 

 most of them specifically. Dr. Sharpe (Cat. B. Ill 1877, 38-45) admits 4 species 

 with a number of subspecies in the East Indies, viz. Corone macrorhyncha (Wa-1 ) 

 CMssima (SchL), C. pMippina (Bp.) and C. enca (Horsf.). Probably Cowne 

 phhppina is a subspecies of C. enca, which, if so, may be separated into the 

 followin^5mces: the typical Corvus enca (Java, Celebes, Sula), C.enca validus^) (Bp.) 



uates, J-aun. B. Ind., B. I, 17), nghtly or ^^Tong■ly, makes it a sj^^onj™ of C. maororhynchus (AYagl.:, whik 



