Mr. W. C. Tait on the Birds of Portugal. 309 



family in Portugal. On April 29tli^ ]86.2_, I took a nest near 

 Oporto with four eggs^ catchiug the bird on the nest, and on 

 the 21st of May, returning to look at the nest, which was in a 

 hollow tree, there were three more eggs in it. The nest con- 

 sisted of small dry twigs of heather, &c. This Owl frequents 

 the mountains among the boulders, pine-woods, old oaks, and 

 chestnut trees, and is also found on the olive-trees. I have 

 seen them in winter, but it does not follow that they all 

 remain. On the island of Cies, at the entrance to Vigo Bay, 

 I saw one of these birds. 



133. Gyps fulvus (Gmel.). '^ Abutre.'' 



The Griffon "S'ulture is found in various parts of the 

 country, but it is rather scarce, except perhaps on the Serra 

 do Suajo, where it breeds on the cliflPs near the chapel of Na. 

 Senhora do Penedo. In a private collection at Ovar I saw a 

 fine specimen which had been shot in that neighbourhood — a 

 straggler, no doubt, as marshy ground is not that on which 

 one would expect to find Vultures. In the Museum at Lisbon 

 there are specimens from the Ribatejo and Villa Vijosa, 

 and several in the Coimbra Museum from the Alemtejo. 

 Between Guardia and Bayona, just over the frontier in 

 Galicia, many Vultures may be seen sailing about the stony 

 mountains overlooking the coast. 



134. VuLTCR MONACHUS, Liuu. ^^ Pica osso," Coimbra 

 Museum. 



The Lisbon Museum possesses specimens of the Black 

 Vulture from Collares and Benavente, and there are two in 

 the Coimbra Museum. 



135. Neophron percxopterus (Linn.). "Abutre.^^ 



In July 1869, I saw a live specimen which I was told had 

 come from the Serra do INIarao. The Egyptian Vulture is 

 said to be common in the neighbourhood of Barca d^Alva, 

 breeding on the precipitous banks of the river Douro near 

 the Spanish frontier. I have seen flocks of what appeared to 

 be this bii'd near the Guadiana, and Dr. Hans Gadow tells 

 me that he saw two of its nests in the fine gorge of the Pulo 

 do Lobo, near Serpa, on that river. 



SER. v. — VOL. V. Y 



