Page:The Fauna of British India, including Ceylon and Burma (Birds Vol 1).djvu/60

28 Habits. Normally the Jungle-Crow is, as its name implies, a bird of the forests and jungles rather than of cities and civilization: at the same time this particular race has taken to emulating the Indian House-Crow in haunting the abodes of men and, even where it still keeps to the jungles, generally selects places within easy distance of some village, possibly for the sake of the food it is able to scavenge from it. It is not nearly so gregarious as the House-Crow, and, except in the towns, each pair has its own special territory, from which it excludes all others of its own kind.

Vernacular names. Dheri-kawa (Hind. South); Kaki (Telegu); Kadu-Kaka (Tel. Travancore); Kaka (Tamil); Goyegamma Kaka (Ceylon).

Description. Only differs from the previous bird in being smaller, with generally a smaller, more slender bill and in having the bases to the feathers nearly always dark in the adult as in the young.

Colours of soft parts as in levaillanti.

Measurements. Wing from 272 to 305 mm., in one case only 319 (possibly a wanderer), and averaging about 291 mm. Culmen about 55 to 56 mm.

Distribution. India in the Madras Presidency southwards, the Deccan and south through Malabar and Travancore to the south of Ceylon.

Nidification. In the northern portion of its habitat this Crow breeds in December to February, but in Ceylon it breeds in June and July, though possibly in other months also. The nest is similar to that of the Common Indian Jungle-Crow, but the 60 eggs available for measurement average only 38.0 × 28.1 mm. In colour they seem to be richer and darker than those of the northern bird and to be of a stouter, shorter oval.

Habits. Similar to those of the other races, but it is perhaps more really a jungle bird than is levaillanti. In Ceylon it is said (Wait) to keep much to the coastal areas, which are well forested.

Vernacular names. Ulakpho (Lepcha); Ulak (Bhutea).

Description. A very large bird with a bill little if anything