48 BULLETIN 15 3, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM 



The material examined (10 specimens) supports Erlanger's state- 

 ments ^^ as to the sequence of phimages in this vulture fairly well. 

 Young birds may be told by the fact that they have the top and 

 back of the head covered with brown, dense, downy feathers, and the 

 entire bird likewise is brown. Very old birds have the feathers of 

 the top and back of the head white and have the middle upper wing 

 coverts edged with white and greater underwing coverts white. 

 Birds of intermediate age have the white on the crown and nape 

 tinged with light tawny and have the middle upper wnng coverts 

 edged with grayish, and the greater underwing coverts brown like 

 the middle and lesser rows. 



The bird from the Arussi Plateau is peculiar in that it has the 

 feathers of the crown and nape partly brownish, as in subadult 

 birds, but has the white greater under wing coverts as in adult speci- 

 mens. The bird is in very worn plumage. The other specimens 

 collected are adult birds. Of the two represented by one foot each, 

 the Bodessa bird is less adult than the Galana River specimen as it 

 has a few dusky feathers among the white ones on the tibia, while 

 ihe other has only pure white ones. 



Swann *^ gives the wing length of the white-headed vulture as 582 

 millimeters. This is rather too high for an average and yet not high 

 enough for a maximum. Seven full-grown birds (both sexes) have 

 wings varying length from 547 to 590 millimeters. Females are 

 slightly larger than males. 



The white-headed vulture occurs in the open country of Africa 

 from Portuguese Guinea, the upper Guinea savannah region, east 

 through the Sudan to Sennar and Ethiopia, south to the Orange 

 River. Being a denizen of plains country, it is naturally absent 

 in the Congo forest area. 



Mearns first met with this vulture at Dire Daoua, where he found 

 it— 



* * * less numerous than either of the others (that is, Nccrosi/rtcs mona- 

 chus pileatus and Neophron percnopterus percnoptents) . Occassionally seen 

 in small companies on the road from Dire Daoua up as far as Gada Bourca. 

 At oue spot as many as 25 were feasting on a dead camel by the roadside. 

 Some were so full of meat that Jt was scarcely possible for them to rise 

 from the ground. 



This bird was often seen along the Hawash River, January 26 to 

 February 13. Other records are as follows : Gato River, March 29 

 to May 17, 100 seen; Bodessa and Sagon River, May 19 to June 3, 

 3 seen; Tertale, June 7-12, 6 birds; El Ade, June 12-14, 6 birds; 

 Mar Mora, June 14, 4 seen; Turturo, June 15-17, 16 birds; Anole, 

 June 17, 12 seen; Wobok, June 18, 50 noted; near Saru, June 19, 



8--'.Tourn. f. Ornith., 1904, pp. 1.S8-139. 



^ Synopsis of the Accipitres, ed. 2, 1922, p. 10. 



