NEOPHEON. 325 



Bill dark plumbeous, except the upper part of the upper man- 

 •dible, which in adults is greyish white ; cere horny black, polished ; 

 irides brown ; naked skin of head and neck dusky plumbeous ; 

 legs and feet nearly black {Hume). 



Length about 35 ; tail 10 ; wing 23 ; tarsus 3-75 ; mid-toe with- 

 out claw 3*5 ; bill from gape to point 2*75. 



At all ages this is a darker as well as a smaller bird than Gyps 

 indicus, and may be at once recognized by its dark lower parts 

 with narrow whitish shaft-stripes. 



Distribution. The commonest Vulture throughout India and 

 Burma, but not found in Ceylon nor above moderate elevations in 

 the Himalayas. Rarer in the Punjab and Sind, and in the desert 

 parts of Eajputana. According to St. John, large numbers ac- 

 companied the army engaged in S. Afghanistan in 1878-9, and 

 fed on the dead camels. 



Habits, Sfo. Very similar to those of other true Vultures. This 

 bird and Oijps indieus are commonly found about towns and 

 villages, and they assemble in large numbers to feed on carcases of 

 all kinds. The nest is an irregular platform of sticks, always on a 

 large tree, often banyan or pipal, sometimes on palms, not unfre- 

 quently tamarind, nim {Melia azadiracJita), or Terminalia, and 

 there are often several nests on one tree. The middle of the plat- 

 form is lined with green leaves, and a single egg is laid, generally 

 dull white, sometimes speckled or blotched with reddish brown, 

 and measuring on an average 3-26 by 2-42. This bird breeds from 

 October till March, the majority about December or January, rather 

 earlier, as is usual, to the southward than in Northern India. 

 When pairing these Vultures, like Gijps fuhus, make an extra- 

 ordinary roaring. 



Genus NEOPHRON, Savigny, 1810. 



Bill slender, lengthened, the culmen straight at first, greatly 

 hooked at the tip ; cere very long ; nostrils elongate, horizontal ; 

 crown and sides of head, chin, throat, and upper fore-neck naked ; 

 neck surrounded by a ruff of hackles, which extend up to the nape 

 and round all the lower part of the neck ; crop naked ; wings 

 long, pointed, the third quill longest ; tail wedge-shaped. Third 

 and fourth toes much united at the base by membrane ; claws 

 sharper than in other Vultures. 



The habits and flight of these birds differ much from those of 

 the preceding Vulturine genera. Neophron inhabits Africa, 

 Southern Europe, and South-western Asia, including the Indian 

 Peninsula. Two species are known, both Indian. The African 

 Vultur pileatus, often referred to Neophron, belongs to a distinct 

 genus, Necrosyrtes, Gloger. 



Key to the Species. 



.a. Bill yellow in adults N. f/inginianus, p. 326. 



b. Bill dark horny at all ages N.percnopterus, p. 327. 



