398 PANDIONID^ 



towards the tip ; cere and bare skin of head and neck bluish to 

 purplish-flesh, brighter about the eyes ; legs bluish-flesh. 



Length about 26-0 ; wing 20-0 ; tail 10-5 ; culmen 2-7 ; tarsus 

 3-7. 



The young is very similar to the adult, but the down on the hind 

 neck, crop patch, and thighs is dark brown and not white. 



Distribution. — The Hooded Vulture is confined to south and 

 east Africa ; it is apparently very rare in the southern half of our 

 region but becomes common towards the Zambesi. It was first 

 obtained by Burchell in the country which now forms the Prieska 

 and Hope Town districts bordering the Orange river, south of which 

 it does not appear to be known. Ayres states that it is found in 

 Natal but gives no exact locality. It is rare in Damaraland, though 

 more abundant in Great Namaqualand according to Andersson 

 and Fleck. In Ehodesia it was procured at Tati by Oates, and is 

 stated by Marshall to be not uncommon in the Salisbury district 

 of Mashonaland, while Alexander notes it from near Zumbo on the 

 Zambesi. 



Beyond our limits it has been obtained on the Nyika plateau in 

 Nyasaland and in German east Africa. In north-east and west 

 Africa it is replaced by a closely-allied species. 



Habits. — Marshall states : "This Vulture is fairly common and 

 may be at once recognised by its smaller size and pink head. It 

 seems to be rather afraid of its two larger relatives, and does not 

 usually visit a carcass at the same time with them but contents 

 itself with the pickings after they have left." 



Its breeding habits in South Africa have not been observed, 

 but in north-east Africa the alhed species builds in tall mimosa 

 trees a nest of variable size but with a very small basin, only 

 just allowing room for one unfeathered nesthng. Only one 

 egg is laid ; this is dirty-white, sometimes plain, sometimes 

 covered with spots and blotches of reddish-brown, measuring 2-75 

 X 2-0. 



Family III. PANDIONID^. 



No after-shafts to the contour feathers ; outer toe reversible ; 

 plantar tendons as in the owls and hornbills, i.e., the two tendons 

 completely fused so that it is impossible to distinguish their distri- 

 bution to the various toes ; a little bridge of bone on the anterior 

 surface of the proximal end of the tarso-metatarsus over the channel 



