NOTES ON THE DIUDS OF AMBALA DISTRICT, PUNJAB. 179 



in the cold weather of 1865-1866 {See Jour. A. S. B. 1866, p. 74)" 

 (Beavan.) f 



1 observed it on the following occasions : — On 10th November 

 at Chandighar, 9th December near Sirhind, 16th December at 

 Rupar, and ^Ist December neir Ambala. 



1191* The Black Vulture — Otoijypn calims (Scop.) 



Not uncommon; generally distributed and occurririg as high as 

 Kasauli, and probably resident. The greatest number that I 

 saw at one time was iive. 



1192* The Griffon Vulture— r?///jR fulvus (Gm.) 



"In the plain country about Ambala it is particularly abund- 

 ant at certain seasons. One I shot in the cold weather ol 1866-66 

 at Sirhind." (Beavan.) 



1 oberved a few Griffon Vultures (though without being 

 certain as to the exact species) during the winter, including one 

 at Kasauli on March 8th. J 



1195. The Himalayan Long-billed Vulture — Gypn tenuirostns, Hodgs, 



In the Journal of the Bombay Natural History Society, Vol. 



XXIV, p. 358, Mr. A. E. Jones gives a full description of 



a nest of this species taken by him at Ambala in January 



1915. 



1196* The Indian White-backed Vulture — Pseudogypa bengalensis (Gm.) 

 This is the common and resident Vulture of the district, 

 through which it occurs upto and including Kasauli. Numbers 

 breed about Karali and Rupur in loose colonies in Decem- 

 ber some nests still contained young in the second half of 

 March. 



t Note. — Captain Beavan's reference to Colonel I'ytler's record is wrong ; 

 the record is contained not in tlie '•Journal of the Asiatic Society of 

 Bengal " but in the " Procee lings " of that Society. The year and page 

 are correct. Tlie record is in the form of a letter, dated Ambala, 8rd 

 March 1866; the following are the most important parts : — 

 " My dear Grote, 



1 have this moment or rather an hour ago shot a splendid specimen of 



that rare and noble bird the Vultur monac/nis I have always 



found the bird a very rare species ; the first I ever saw wild were two m 



the Punjab in November 1842 I again fell in with a pair at Oorai 



near Cawnpore in December 1855 1 saw nothing more of them or 



anymore till in December 1865 at Umballah when I was driving to the 

 City from Cantonmetit and my son Frank, who was sitting beside me, 

 drew my attention to two large Vultures surrounded by smaller Vultures 

 on the carcase of a horse. We immediately drove up to the place, and 



again I saw this rare bird. 1 here were three of them a few days 



afterwards I saw three more flying in compan}' with other Vultures 



This morning, the 8rd March 1866, 1 had just returned from shooting when 

 I found a note waiting for me from Dr. Scott, Medical Storekeeper, saving 

 he had just seen two of these birds feeding with other vultures on the 

 carcase of a horse, and described the place so well that although 1 was 

 very tired I started at once for the snot, and then 1 had the satisfaction 

 of again seeing the three of these noble Vultures" [one of which he shot]. 



t The list of the Scott Collection at Montrose includes Oyps miicms from 

 Ambala, Withoat examination of the specimens, I cannot tay what species is 

 meant. 



