The Birds of the Assyrian Monuments and Records. 81 
sages special reference is probably made not to the common 
raven {Corvus corax), but to another species of raven, namely, 
the brown-necked species, the Corvus umbrinus; and this bird is 
like the rook, to a very considerable extent gregarious in its 
habits. " Of all the birds of Jerusalem," Canon Tristram 
writes, " the raven tribe are the most characteristic and con- 
spicuous, though the larger species is quite outnumbered by 
its smaller companion, Corvus umbrinus. They are present 
everywhere to eye and ear, and the odours that float around 
remind us of their use. The discordant jabber of their 
evening sittings round the temple area is deafening. The 
caw of the rook and the chatter of the jackdaw unite in 
attempting to drown the hoarse croak of the raven ; but 
clear above the tumult rings out the more musical call-note of 
hundreds of the lesser species. We used to watch their great 
colony, as every morning at daybreak, they passed in long lines 
over our tents to the northward ; the rooks in solid phalanx 
leading the way, and the ravens in solid phalanx bringing up 
the rear."— Nat. Hist, of Bible, p. 200-201. Ed. 1867. That 
this is the species more decidedly alluded to as coming 
forcibly in multitudes on the field of battle there can be no 
doubt ; but of course such individuals as the larger species 
as might collect together with them would be also included. 
That ravens are meant, and not locusts, by the word a-ri-bi, 
besides the reasons I have already given, can be finally 
settled by a passage in the history of Assurbanipal, where 
the Elamites overspreading Accad are compared to an invasion 
of aribi ; the Cuneiform has the reading of ^ >~<y< "ijS- ^ 
HM' cima ti-b u - ut NAM-BIR-KHU, the Accadian 
name denoting most definitely birds, and not insects ; and 
this Accadian word is in other places represented by the 
Assyrian word aribi, that is, " ravens." 
(21.) The bird called pa'hu (j^ ^>f- ^]]]^) and 
ka-ka-nu (A-J probably denotes the " crow." 
Pa-hu is the Hebrew peah (H^Q) " to cry out," and again 
is an imitative word. Kakanu may well be compared with the 
Arabic kdk (jli) or ktk (<j^") " a crow." The species 
intended is the hooded crow, sometimes in this country called 
Vol. VIII. 6 
