THE BIRDS 



OE 



MONGOLIA, THE TANGUT COUNTRY, 



AND THE 



SOLITUDES OF NORTHERN TIBET. 



By Lieut.-Col. N. PRJEVALSKY. 



[Continued from p. 279.] 



PASSERES (^continued). 



133. CoRVus COR AX, L. Voron obiknovennoy. 



Common in all the countries visited by us. In the desert of Gobi the 

 Ravens follow every caravan, and are so greedy that they not only steal from 

 the tents every thing eatable, but even tear the skins from the tea-chests, or 

 sit on the backs of the camels and peck at the wounds and sore places, if 

 there happen to be any. The stupid animal only howls and spits at the 

 bird, and cannot get rid of its tormentor without the assistance of man. In 

 the Mongolian towns and villages they act, together with dogs, as scavengers, 

 picking up all the offal, and also indulge themselves on the bodies of the 

 dead Mongols outside the towns, in the fields, where they are thrown out. 



In Mongolia and Tibet it commences to breed very early, constructing 

 its nest on trees or, when these are scarce, on rocks and cliffs. As early as 

 the middle of April we met with some good-sized young ones, although in 

 the beginning of the same month w^e only saw eggs, which appeared to 



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