Aden and the Neighbourhood. 13 



have taken notes of the birds seen in the neighbonrhood^ 

 their dates of occurrence, &c., and have tried to identify 

 them ; but as my books of reference have only been Jerdon's 

 ' Birds of India/ Blanford^s ' Geology and Zoology of Abys- 

 sinia/ and Von der Decken^s ' Travels in Somali Land, &c.' 

 the ideutifi cations are in some cases conjectural. 



[]\rajor Yerbury has sent a small collection of these birds to 

 the British Museum, which I have identified, and to the species 

 so determined I have attached a dagger (f) • The collection 

 sent to Mr. Hume has unfortunately been mislaid, and neither 

 he nor I could find it at Simla. When found, Mr. Hume 

 will send the skins to the British Museum, and, if further 

 questions arise as to their identification, I will send a note 

 to a future number of 'The Ibis.' — R. B. S.] 



1. Egyptian Vulture. {Neophron percnopter us.) 



This bird is a resident with us all the year round, and 

 breeds in the high cliffs near the Main Pass gate and at two 

 or three other places on the Shum-shum range, forming large 

 colonies. It is found generally throughout the neighbour- 

 hood of Aden. 



Besides this Vulture, I believe two other species are to be 

 found in the neighbourhood. The first I have always taken 

 for an immature specimen of N. petxnopterus. It is of 

 about the same size, but instead of being white with black 

 wings, it is of a dirty mottled brown. 



The other is only seen inland, near Al Hautah (Lahej), and 

 is a very large bird, the back appearing to be of a light colour 

 (grey) as compared with the dark brown of the head and 

 wings. 



2. Kestrel. (Cerchneis, sp. inc.) 



The Kestrel is, I believe, a resident in Aden ju'oper. I 

 found a pair, apparently breeding, in the high clifts above 

 the Mahilla plain. 



I fancy that two or three other birds of prey remain with 

 us all the year round. One is apparently a Sparrow-Hawk 

 {Accipiter) . The others I have been unable to make out. 



