298 JOURNAL, BOMBAY NATURAL HIST. SOCIHTY, FoL XNJ\ 



Xo. 111.— NOTE ON THE GREAT BROWN VULTURE 

 (VULTUE MONACHUS) IN CAPTIVITY. 



Last May (1915) this young bird was brought in by a Wazir, who stated 

 tliat he had taken it out of a nest in the Marwattai mountains, N. W. of the 

 Wano Phiin, after shooting the parent bird. He said that the nest was at the 

 top of a large lir tree. The previous year when L was up in the Mar-wattais 

 in about the same phxce as this nest is said to have been found,! saw a nest 

 of a hirge vulture containing one young bird, and watched it from the to[) 

 of a cliff with my glasses. I think it was very probably the same nest. 



When this young bird was brought ni to me it cannot have been more 

 than a few days old, and it was then covered with brovvnish-grej'^ down. 

 The cere was light pink and bill darkish at tip, irides yellowish, legs and 

 feet creamy white, and claws black. I fed it on raw meat and it grew 

 very fast. Photo 1 shews it as it was at about a month old. It had 



Xo. 1. 



then begun to grow long dark brown feathers on its oack. body' and wings, 

 and also the ruff at the back of its neck. At this time it was not strong- 

 enough to stand up. At hrst it would (uly feed from my hand and would 

 open its mouth like any other young bird to have the food dropped into 

 it, but after two or three days it took to feeding itself from a plate. 

 I kept it in a stable and after some days I noticed that the 

 walls all round up to about IS inches from the ground were covered 

 with its excreta. I could not understand tliis until one day 1 noticed 

 it shuffle backwards till it reached the wall, when it lowered its head, 

 raised its tail and squirted its excreta up on to the wall. Apparently 

 it always went through this perfoi-mance when it wished to relieve 

 nature. The only reason that 1 can think of for this is that while in the 

 nest it was probably in the habit of getting to the edge and relieving 

 nature over the side, and it was trying to do the same still. It did not 



