Chap. VIII.] 



CROWS. 



253 



of mud on each side of the perch. Grass is apparently 

 the most convenient material for the purposes of the 

 Weaver-bird when constructing its nest, but other sub- 

 stances are often substituted, and some nests which I 

 brought from Ceylon proved to be formed with deli- 

 cate strips from the fronds of the dwarf date-palm, 

 Phoenix paludosa, which happened to grow near the 

 breeding place. 



Amongst the birds of this order, one which, as far as 

 I know, is peculiar to the island is Layard's Mountain- 

 jay (Cissa puella, Blyth and Layard), is distinguished 

 not less by the beautiful blue colour which enlivens its 

 plumage, than by the elegance of its form and the grace 

 of its attitudes. It frequents the hill country, and is 

 found about the mountain streams at Neuera-ellia, and 

 elsewhere. 1 



Crows. — Of all the Ceylon birds of this order the 

 most familiar and notorious are the small glossy crows, 

 whose shining black plumage shot with blue has sug- 

 gested the title of Corvus splendens. 2 They frequent 

 the towns in companies, and domesticate themselves in 

 the close vicinity of every house ; and it may possibly 

 serve to account for the familiarity and audacity which 

 they exhibit in their intercourse with men, that the 

 Dutch during their sovereignty in Ceylon, enforced 

 severe penalties against any one killing a crow, under 

 the belief that they were instrumental in extending the 



1 The engraving above is taken 

 by permission of Mr. Gould from 

 one of his drawings for his Birds 

 of India. 



2 There is another species, the 

 0. culminatus, so called from the 

 convexity of its bill ; but though 



seen in the towns, it lives chiefly 

 in the open country, and may be 

 constantly observed wherever there 

 are buffaloes, perched on their 

 backs and engaged, in company 

 with the small Minah (Aeridotheres 

 tristis), in freeing them from ticks. 



