206 Mr. J. H. Gurney's List of a Collection of Birds 



PoDiCA PETERSii, Hartlaub. Peters's Finfoot. Male and 

 female. 



In the 7nale, the eye light reddish-brown ; legs and feet bright 

 red ; upper mandible black, with red margins ; under mandible 

 red, with black margins. In the stomach frog-bones, and a 

 quantity of bright transparent quartz-pebbles. 



In the female, eye whitish-brown ; legs bright red. In the 

 stomach fish-bones and a few insects. 



Both these birds were caught in traps set for Otters. They 

 have the power of making an extraordinary noise, like the 

 growling of a wild beast, which they do by drawing the air into 

 their bodies and forcing it gradually from their throats. Both 

 of these birds made this strange noise when taken from the 

 traps, fighting at the same time with all their might. I have 

 never seen two of these birds together. 



[The female bird in this species is nearly one-third smaller 

 than the male. Judging from the specimens which Mr. Ayres 

 has now sent, I am disposed to think that it is only the male 

 bird which assumes the dark lead-colom' on the throat when in 

 breeding-plumage. — J. H. G.] 



The following are additional species, which I have numbered 

 continuously with the previous list. In this, as in the former 

 catalogue, a few species from other Natal collections have been 

 included, for the sake of completing, as far as possible, particular 

 groups. 



65. Gyps ruppelli, Bp. Uiippell's Griffon-Vulture. 



Male and female. Eye nearly black; the colour of the skin 

 of the neck of the male bird was greenish- white, that of the 

 female black ; bill, feet, and tarsi, also the skin over the eye, and 

 round the base of the bill, black. 



The first of these birds that we shot, we took to be an imma- 

 ture bird of Gyps fulvus ; but a short time after, a flight of about 

 thirty of them appeared and devoured an ox that had died close 

 by. We managed to shoot three of them, two of which we now 

 send ; we then, of course, saw they were a difterent species. 

 Gyps fulvus nearly always settles on the ground at some little 

 distance from the beast off which they intend to make a meal ; 



