1921 .*] the Near East and Tropical East Africa. 629 
Corvus cornix pallescens (Mad.).—Small and pale. 
Cyprus. 
Corvus cornix minos Meinertz.—Medium and pale. 
Crete. 
Corvus cornix sharpii Oates.—Large and pale. Western 
Asia. 
Corvus cornix capellanus Scl.—Very large and very 
pale. Persian Gulf. 
PASSE R DOMESTICUS. 
I collected large series of Sparrows at all seasons from 
Damascus, throughout Palestine, and in Egypt. 
Passer domesticus biblicus Hartert. 
Adult male in fresh autumn plumage has the back, 
primaries, and tail paler than in P. d. domesticus , the crown 
browner, not so bluish. Ear-coverts grey as in P. d. domes¬ 
ticus. Pump similarly coloured to the head, whereas in the 
typical race the head is greyer than the rump. In spring 
plumage the adult male more closely resembles the typical 
race, but the back, head, and rump are paler. 
Two birds in the Tring Collection, labelled respectively 
Syria and Palestine, appear to more closely resemble indicus 
in the colour of the ear-coverts, which are almost pure 
. white, but their wings—79 and 80 mm.—are nearer biblicus. 
Birds from Eregli (S.E. Asia Minor) are similarly coloured 
and tend towards indicus. Birds from Cyprus (five 
examined) appear to be typical biblicus. Wings of five 
males 76-81 mm. 
Palestine and Syrian birds measure :— 
26 C • Wing 77, 79-83 mm. 
4 $ . Wing 78-81 mm. 
The culmen of biblicus is as in the typical race. 
This race occurs in Syria and Palestine, at least from 
Damascus and Beyrouth south to Beersheba, throughout 
Palestine and the Jordan Valley to the Sinai Peninsula. 
Also in Cyprus. Birds from Suez and the Suez Canal are 
niloticus. 
