VULTURIDJE NEOPHKON 393 



The young bird is paler brown throughout with the dark brown 

 feathers everywhere appearing ; the down on the head, crop patch, 

 white wing-feathers, and abdomen, tinged here and there with 

 brownish. 



Distribution. — The White-headed Vulture was first discovered 

 by Burchell on the Makkwari or Matlowing river, near Kururaan. 

 It appears to be rare everywhere in South Africa and is not known 

 from south of the Orange river. Beyond our limits it is recorded 

 from German east Africa by Eeichenow, and appears to be not 

 uncommon in Abyssinia and Senaar ; it has also been obtained at 

 Bissao in Portuguese west Africa ; South African localities are : 

 Cape Colony — Kuruman (Moffat), Douglas in Griqualand West 

 (Orpen in S. A. Mus.) ; Natal — Ingagane near Newcastle (Reid) ; 

 Bechuanaland — Near Lake Ngami (Andersson) ; German south- 

 west Africa — Nauas in Great Namaqualand (Fleck) ; Mashonaland 

 (Ayres). 



Habits. — The White-headed Vulture is nowhere common in 

 South Africa and little has been recorded concerning its habits. Mr. 

 Ayres, almost the only naturalist who has written on the subject, 

 states that it is shy and wary, and is found usually in pairs, and is 

 not generally seen feeding along with other species ; he further states 

 that it builds in trees like the Black Vulture and at about the same 

 time, and only lays one egg. This is white with a few faint brown 

 cloudings ; it is thinner in texture and somewhat more elongated 

 than those of other Vultures, and measures about 3-93 x 2-68. 



Genus V. NEOPHRON. 



Type. 

 Neophron, Savigny, Syst. Ois. d'Ecjypte, p. 233 



(1808) N . percnopterus. 



Bill weak, long and slender, the cere occupying more than half 

 its length ; nostrils an elongated horizontal slit ; sides of the head, 

 fore part of the crown and throat bare, occiput and hind neck fully 

 feathered ; tail-feathers fourteen in number, considerably graduated, 

 the difference between the inner and outer feathers almost equal 

 to the length of the tarsus ; tarsus a good deal longer than the 

 middle toe and only feathered at the top. 



This genus contains two species spread over southern Europe, 

 Africa, and southern Asia ; one of these inhabits South Africa. 



