122 THE NESTS AND EGGS OF 



and Cape Verd Islands, and across Africa north of the 

 Great Desert from Morocco to Egypt, and southwards 

 to Nubia. 



Breeding habits : The Egyptian Vulture is only a 

 summer visitor to the countries north of the Mediter- 

 ranean, reaching its old breeding places early in March 

 in the west, but not until late in that month in the 

 extreme east, and in Asia Minor. It is not gregarious 

 during the nesting season, breeding in scattered pairs. 

 There is little doubt that it pairs for life, and appears 

 generally to return to one particular spot to rear its 

 young. The favourite breeding places of this Vulture 

 are ranges of limestone cliffs, and as the bird appears to 

 be less fastidious in the selection of a site, its nests are 

 more generally distributed than those of the Griffon 

 Vulture, and as a rule much more accessible. In Turkey, 

 however, the Egyptian Vulture often nests in a cypress 

 tree or on the walls of a mosque, and it has even been 

 known to use the old nest of a Short-toed Eagle situated 

 in a cork oak : old nests of the Bearded Vulture are also 

 employed. In Algeria the old nests of Ravens are fre- 

 quently tenanted. This Vulture, when it does make its 

 own nest, is not much of an architect, usually contenting 

 itself with a few dead sticks — a mere platform — on which 

 a little dry grass and wool has been carelessly arranged. 

 The nest and its immediate vicinity are splashed with 

 the white droppings of the parent birds. This Vulture 

 when disturbed contents itself with wheeling round about 

 the spot or occasionally sweeping past the nest, never 

 showing any pugnacious tendency. 



Range of egg colouration and measurement : 

 The eggs of the Egyptian Vulture are usually two in 

 number, but sometimes three are found. They are very 

 handsome objects, varying in ground colour from buffish- 

 white to yellowish-white, washed, clouded, blotched, and 



