28o BOMBAY DUCKS 



vultures feeding on the carcass, to say nothing of a 

 rabble of crows. The scavenger vulture adopts a differ- 

 ent procedure. There are in every town in the East 

 certain places where its food is almost invariably to 

 be found ; these it visits in turn. It is a good flier, 

 and when seen upon the wing looks quite a respectable 

 fowl. The under parts of its wings appear pure white 

 in the sunlight, and the black border gives them a 

 finish. 



The nest of the scavenger vulture is in keeping with 

 the character of the bird. It is a mass of sticks, dirty 

 rags, and other rubbish heaped together anyhow. It is 

 sometimes placed on a stout forked bough of a large 

 tree ; more often it is to be found on a building. 



For many years some of the Madras Neophrons have 

 utilized the steeple of the Scotch kirk as their nursery. 

 As soon as one pair of vultures has brought up its 

 family, the site is seized by another couple ; hence, 

 during most of the cold weather a lady vulture is to be 

 seen "sitting" high up in the steeple. 



This species seems rarely to lay more than two eggs. 

 Frequently, as in the illustration, one only is laid. The 

 ^gg is the solitary beautiful thing connected with 

 scavenger vultures. Its colour is dark red or crimson, 

 richly blotched with russet. These hues, alas ! wash off. 

 The bird will have nothing to do with cleanliness in any 

 shape or form ; if you want to keep her eggs you must 

 have them unwashed. Yet even this most degraded of 

 birds is not without its virtues. The hen scavenger is 

 a good mother. It takes a lot to make her leave the 

 nest. The bird at the kirk allowed Captain Fayrer and 



