THE BIRDS OF AUSTRALIA. 
(?) Corvus coronoides Carter, Ibis. 1917, p. 610 ; Dirk Hartog Island. 
(?) Corrms cecilce hartogi Mathews, BiiU. Brit. Om. Club, Vol. XL., p. 76, Jan. 30th, 1920 r 
Dirk Hartog Island. 
(?) Corvus sp. (?) Whitlock, Emu, Vol. XX., p. 185, 1921. 
(?) Corvus bennetti bonhoti H. L. White, ib., p. 188. 
Corvus cecilce probleema Mathews, Austral Av. Rec., Vol. V., pts. 2-3, p. 42, Feb. 21st, 
1923 : Derby, North-west Australia. 
Distribution. Tropical Northern Australia, ranging as far south as (?) Dirk Hartog 
Island in the west. 
Adult male. AU the contour feathers of the body with their bases white; head and neck 
black, glossed with dull steel-blue ; mantle slightly duller than the head; back, 
rump, upper tail-coverts, scapulars and wing-coverts glossy purple, shaded with 
blue; tail-feathers black, glossed with dull blue and purple; primaries black, 
glossed with purplish-blue on the basal half of the outer web and slightly glossed 
on the inner web with greenish-purple ; secondaries black, glossed with purple oa 
the outer web and with purplish-blue on the iimer web ; throat-hackles black, 
glossed with bluish-green. Eyes white, bill and feet black. Total length 515 mm.; 
culmen 60, wing 355, tail 203, tarsus 70. Figured. Collected at Napier Broome 
Bay. North-west Australia, on the 30th of July, 1910, and is the type of Corvus 
cecilce. 
The sexes are alike. 
Eggs. Four to five eggs form the clutch, sometimes six. A clutch of five taken at 
Mackay, North Queensland, on the 11th of November, 1908, is of a pale greenish- 
grpy ground-colour, spotted, speckled and blotched with blackish-brown and 
olive-brown. Ovals in shape. Surface of shell fine, smooth and sUghtly glossy. 
The eggs often vary considerably in the same nest. 40-42 by 29-30 mm. 
Nest. Similar to that of the Raven, a large structure of sticks, lined with bark, hair, fur, 
etc., and placed in a tall tree. 
Breeding-months. August to January. (June to September.) 
As already recorded, Gould did not distinguish between the “ Crow ” and the 
“ Raven,” but Ramsay noted that there were remarkable differences, and then 
Sharpe separated two species and, moreover, placed them in two different 
genera. These were adopted by Austrahans, Campbell giving a clear account 
of the differences which I have quoted, but the geographical separation was 
not emphasized by other workers. Consequently the names were used in the 
sense of two species living together throughout AustraHa, and most wTiters 
have thought it necessary to record both from every locahty, the more careful 
workers, however, always expressing doubt. After the names had become 
well established, Ogilvie-Grant, from examination of the type, decided that it 
was not a “ Crow,” as stated by Sharpe, but that it was a “ Raven.” I have 
followed this authority in order to avoid more confusion at the present time, 
but here again record my doubt upon the matter and earnestly sohcit some 
Austrahan ornithologist to make a complete study of this subject and get down 
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