The Birds of Gavibia. 
213 
(The Bir^s of Gambia. 
By E. HoPKiNSON, D.S.O., M.A.. M.B. 
(Condmied from page 180). 
CORVID^. 
Corvns scapulalus. PIRD CROW. 
Range. Piactically the whole of Africa ; Madaj»ascar. (Sh ) 
A black and white Crow about the size of a Carrion Crow and marked 
like a Magpie. The sexes are similar except that the lien is smaller than 
the cock. They are extiemely common in the Gambia, where rarely a day 
passes without seeing one or two at least, e.xcept in Batliurst during the 
latter half of the rains, when they appear to leave the town entirely; at any 
rate from about August (after the young have left the nest) till the middle 
of October, I have never seen any Crows in Batliurst itself, although else- 
where they are just as common. For the greater part of the year they go 
about in pairs, but assemble towards evening in small parties to roost in 
company. In April and May, however, they are seen in large flocks, es- 
pecially near the sea and mangrove swamps, where they at all times feed 
largely on dead shellfish and offal cast up 011 the .shore. At this time, too, 
they are very noisy and often interfere sadly with the mi<lday siesta, when 
a party selects the neighbourhood of one's hut for a midday meeting for 
courting purposes, which consist chiefly of loud cawings and clumsy ferial 
gambols. They begin to breed in May, making large stick nests in tall 
trees, generally the Silk-cottons (Kriod(;ndron). In the young at first most 
of the while feathers have dusky edges, which gives the brea.st and back a 
mottled appearance. Like all the Crows these birds make most amusing 
pets, either in a cage or loose with a clipped wing; I have had two at 
different times, both of which were blown out of their nests by a tornado 
and brought to me when nearly able to fly. The first one, which I took 
home in 1902, is still alive and flourishing at the Zoo. 
Native names: Kaiiah (Mandingo) ; Bikhon (Joloff). 
Cryplorhina afra. SENEGAL PIE. 
Range. West and North East Africa. (Sh ) 
This bird, which is commonly called " the Jackdaw " by the English 
ill Batliurst and " Pie-pie" by the native boys, looks very like and in habits 
much resembles a large black vStarling with a comparatively long graduated 
tail. The plumage is glossy black with a dullish green sheen; the legs are 
black, as is also the bill in the male, but the latter in the female is red with 
a black tip. The length of the male is about eighteen inches, of the female 
about an inch smaller. The irides are the bird's most beautiful feature, 
being a lovely violet-purple changing towards the periphery into a clear 
red-brown, the whole somehow suggesting a dark-coloured opal. They are 
extremely common everywhere, going about in small parties of six or ten; 
in Batliurst they live chiefly on what they can pick up in the streets and 
