1 HE BIRDS OF PREY OF THE PUNJAB. 



250 



Measurements. 



Distribution. 



Habits, etc. 



but thicker and longer on the occiput. The upper 

 half of the back of neck densely covered with soft 

 white feathers, followed by a conspicuous ruft' of 

 short pure white down. 



The upper parts, including tail, varying from 

 black to brownish black, except the secondaries 

 which are a deep brownish grey, and the lower back 

 and rump which are pure white. Underneath, the 

 breast and abdomen are deep brownish black, the 

 feathers with pale narrow shaft stripes. The flanks, 

 lower wing coverts, except near the edge of the 

 wing, axillaries and thigh coverts white. Crop 

 patch black, bordered on each side by white 

 down. 



In the young bird there is much more down about, 

 the head and neck, white above and brownish and 

 thinner below. *' Kuff of whitish lanceolate feathers 

 with brown edges ; plumage generally dark brown, 

 primaries and tail feathers blackish ; wing coverts 

 with narrow, breast and abdomen with broad, whit- 

 ish shaft stript'S ; no white on back, flanks or wing 

 lining ; a white down border to the brown crop 

 patch.-' (Blanford.) 



" Bill dark plumbeous, except the upper part of 

 the upper mandible, which in adults is greyish white ; 

 cere horny black, polished ; irides browi ; naked skin 

 of head and neck dusky plumbeous ; legs and feet 

 nearly black." 



Length about 35" ; tail 10" ; wing 23" ; tarsus 

 375 ; mid-toe without claw 3"5 ; bill from gape 2-75 

 (Blanford.) 



Blanford records this species as the commonest 

 vulture throughout India and Burma, but not found 

 in Ceylon, nor above moderate elevations in the 

 Himalayas, and rarer in the Punjab and Sind and 

 in the desert parts of Eajputana. Hume, however, 

 considers it plentiful in the major portion of the 

 Punjab, but afi"ecting particular localities for breed- 

 ing. 



Anybody who has been along most of the older 

 canal banks, lined with " seeshum " or other large 

 trees, must have been struck with the numbers of 

 enormous nests to be seen among the branches, and 

 during the winter months, with one of these vul- 

 tures sitting on a branch alongside, and perhaps a 

 hideous head, covered with down, looking out from 

 inside the nest. 



During the breeding season this is an excessively 

 noisy bird and the " roarings " one hears would do 

 credit to a zoo. 



Hume tells of a female returning to a nest, whence 

 he had taken the epg and shot the male, and tear- 

 ing it to pieces and making a "wonderful snorting 

 and hissing all the while." 



