— 63 — . 



In the series of 5 skins which I have from Elgon there 

 are 3 different dresses. 



1. The whole under surface of the body light ochre-yellow or 

 light yellowish-brown and all feathers lack the white streak 

 along the shaft, which is otherwise a character of this vul- 

 ture. The greater secondary coverts light brownish yellow. 

 The fore-neck brown. Tail dark-brown. 



2. The whole under surface of the body brown, the feathers 

 with a distinct white streak along the shaft. Wing coverts 

 brown. Tail dark-brown. 



3. The whole under surface of the body dark-brown, feathers 

 with a prominant streak along the shaft. The fore-neck 

 dark-brown. Tail black. 



Erlanger has divided this species (Journ. f, Orn. 1904, 

 p. 150) into 3 forms, differing in the colour of the dress. 

 Without the least hesitation I might well refer my specimens to 

 the forms described by him. But already in 1915 Grant (Ibis 

 p. 237) remarks "I should not be surprised if a larger series will 

 show F. a, schillingsi and P. a. fiilleborni to be synonyms of 

 F. a. africanus . . ." 



My three birds are, however, all shot by the nests and 

 thus stationary in one and the same small area. It therefore 

 seems to me very improbable that three constant forms should 

 breed within a tew miles distance from one another (for the 

 different nests were found at a distance of 2 or 3 miles from 

 each other) It would be quite different if they had been shot 

 from a large flock, for it is quite possible that a certain local- 

 form living in a certain area can make excursions to other 

 neighbourhoods. 



In the present case the latter suggestion is scarcely possible, 

 inasmuch as they were all resident on the eastern slopes of Elgon. 

 I therefore share Grant's opinion, that the forms described by 

 Erlanger are probably synonyms of P. a. africanus and that 

 the variations in the designs of the dress thus occurring and 

 described by him are not characters at all but only variations 

 owing to difference in age. 



It is a well-known fact that young birds, as a rule, build 

 less carefully than the old ones, and the light, pale female, which 

 I refer to the above-mentioned group 1, had — in comparison 

 with other vulture nests — a small and badly built nest. Even 

 for this reason we might assume that the female brooding in 

 this nest was a rather young individual, and indeed the dress 

 indicates it. 



Reichenow says that in young birds the dress is darker, 

 the down-covering of the throat grey, and the fore-neck black- 

 brown. 



The first nest of this bird I found was situated in the top 

 of a gigantic Fodocarpus, about 120 feet high, in the depth of 



