,, .'.,, f ' I ' lower back. The scapulars and greater wing cov- 



"" '. i' I ' erts dark browi) with pale tips. Quills and tail dark 



brow;], alaioet black. Crop brown, the short feathers 



, .,.,,. I . ; , being pale edged,. Under-parts, pale brown or buff 



with broad whitish shaft stripes. Upper and under 



tail coverts buff, somewhat lighter below than abo»'e. 



I^ill pale ho;-ny green, dusky at tip; cere ) ale 



' brown; irides brownish yellow ; legs and feet dingy 



' ' ' greenish, grey pi: vvhite, 



MeasuremenU . Length about 48"; tail 16"; wing 20"; tarsus 4*6" ; 



expanse 10(1 to 110". , ■•,;;; -.'tvi" ' 



" Young birds are dark brown above and below, 

 with strongly marked whitish shaft stripes on all 

 body feathers and wing coverts, the shaft ttripes 

 being very broad on tjie ruff and the lower parts; 

 wing apd tail feathers nearly black." (Elanford.) 



Bistrihtition . Throughout the Hinialayas. 



Habits, etc. This fine bird is common everywhere m the hills 



from the foot hills at about 2,000 ft. to the borders 

 of Thibet up to almost any altitude. . It breeds on 

 almost inaccessible clifl's, usually half a dozen or 

 more jiairs sharing the same cliff, tlioiigh' 1 have 

 seen solitary nests as well. Its nest is the usual 

 platform of sticks and it is not; above ma'kiiig'' use of 

 an old eagle's nest. The egg is sometimes plain 

 greyish white, but' more often blotched or streaked 

 with red-brown and measures 8-76 by 2"75. 



The breeding season is from December to March, 



■ but they commence soaring in pairs qiiite early in 



'.; .i ' ■ the autumn, and might often be seen sailing one 



immediately above the! other, almost touching, and 



look as ' though one is sitting on the back of the 



other, with wings stretched. 



) When passing directly Overhead, only one bird 



is visible, so evenly and close to each other do 



they fly- 1 have never seen this species tower and 



descend with clawp interlaced, like the; BJaek Vulture 



or tbe Laramergeyer is wont to do. 



, In flight it closely nesembles the last species, the 



, adults being al>Aays easily identified by the amount 



of white. The young bird, however, is a deep 



brown throiigbout and looks very hke, V, monacZ/vs, 



' ' except that the white round the crop patch and the 



striped feath6ri*ig ori the under-parts, give it a less 



•J ■• uniform Colouring than in the latter and' the wings 



too appeat to.be less broad. ■ ' 



Family VULTURID^, 



■) ' ) 



Type B. 

 ' ft 



Genus, G>/pif, 



Ko.. 11,94. . O^yg indtcus, The Indian Long-billed Vulture, ,, •, ,. j,.. , 



GaUurqtivn . ^ Size large. Pcad and pape sprinkled. Tyjtl^.fi^prt 



'"'' 1 ' ■ ' ' whity briSvyn hfii.r-Ii?';e fe.ntliers, which lower down 



'''■'•' ''' ■ ' ^ l;hetic'6lf,giyes place W irregular tufts of light dovvD. 



33 



