- 65 — 



One of the natives now climbed up to the other nest, which 

 was situated at about 110 feet from the ground. This nest was 

 not built likej the former, that is to say, on the outer ends of 

 the branches but lay considerably nearer the trunk of the tree. 



The powerful branches, on which the nest was built, were 

 entirely stripped of their leaves and some of them stuck out in 

 the same plane as the nest (extending far beyond it) others 

 straight up into the air. While the native was climbing the 

 tree some twenty vultures wheeled high above us, but just as he 

 reached the nest one of them pitched on one of the branches 

 supporting the nest and with outspread wings and open mouth 

 rushed to attack the intruder and 1 therefore shot it. Even 

 this time it was the male that was sacrificed. 



The nest contained one egg, measuring 87 X 63.2 mm. which 

 was in such an advanced stage of incubation that it could not be 

 blown out and therefore the almost fully developed embryo was pre- 

 served and fixed for histological investigations. The eggs vary 

 very much in pattern. The ground is white and the shell is 

 provided all over the surface with large or small greyish yellow 

 blotches, which sometimes shade without any well defined borders 

 into the whitish tone of the ground. Here and there are also 

 large conspicuous blotches of a blood-coloured tone. One of the 

 eggs, very beautifully marked, had, at the pointed end, rusty 

 brown and lilac-coloured streaks and small blotches. In form 

 they are ovate and the shell is highly granulous and with large pores. 



In the nestling the iris is grey (with a pale brown tint), 

 bill and legs black. 



Heuglin says of this vulture that it seldom perches in tall, 

 dry tree-tops but on the lower, stronger and more shaded 

 branches. As the bird is one of the commonest on Elgon 

 I have daily had opportunities to study it and my observations 

 prove that when the bird is seen resting in a tree it always 

 sits in the highest tops of the trees. 



It is, as a rule, shy and cautious and not so easy to get with 

 in range except at the nest, where it is very daring and 

 courageous. 



Neophron monachus (Tern.). — Rchw. I. p. 522. 



1 Q 26. 5.; 1 Q 6. 6. (6.500 feet); 1 ^ 17. 6. (7.500 feet); 1 ^ 14. 7. 

 (7.500 feet) ; Mount Elgon. - 2 (5(5 18. 8. Kisumu. 



A very common bird in the brier-bushes and on the acacia 

 steppe. It was frequently met with even on the edges of the 

 forest, where it stayed in company with Corvultur. At times 

 it appeared in great swarms of from 40 to 50 in number and 

 it sometimes happened that a few of them were attracted to 

 our camp, alighting in the trees behind my tent, when it was 

 possible to steal right up to them without their flying away. 



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