The Oologists' Record, March i, 1922. 19 



The conglomeration of sticks~of different sizes and smalt twigs rested 

 securely amongst the flat-topped branches, forming a nest not too 

 plentifully lined with coarse dry grass, with a cast feather or two, 

 which the builders evidently deemed sufficiently comfortable for 

 nidification purposes. These details I discovered after slowly and 

 painfully climbing the lowest tree, all the vultures meanwhile 

 being mere specks in the sky or on the far horizon. The nest con- 

 tained no prize, being unready for. the dull, dirty white egg laid by 

 this species. My brother, encouraging my progress from below, 

 strolled across to another tree, the nest in which seemed to contain 

 what he took to be a well-fledged youngster, and was rather aston- 

 ished when an adult bird rose reluctantly and suddenly hurled itself 

 with much flapping of huge wings into the air. A charge of buck- 

 shot from his 12-bGre speedily ended its career, and I straightway 

 emphatically remarked that I had no hankering for any work 

 regarding the removal and preservation of its skin. The mules, 

 scenting the presence of the bird near the Cape cart, towards which 

 we dragged it, almost stampeded when the body, enveloped in a 

 sack, was placed therein. On our return to Potchefstroom, the 

 vulture was at once despatched by train to the Director of the 

 Pretoria Museum, together with the hope that the gift might 

 prove of value to that Institution. His delight on emptying 

 the sack was keen, as this specimen was the first he had ever 

 seen, and he at once wrote to inform us it was the White-backed 

 Vulture {Pseiidogyps africamts), a sub-species of the Kolb's 

 Vulture lately determined by Mr. W. L. Sclater, at that time 

 Director of the Cape Town Museum, whose authority on South 

 African ornithology and mammalia is well known and widely 

 acknowledged. The principal difference between the two birds 

 exists in the number of tail-feathers, which ia the former numbers 

 twelve, whereas the latter possesses fourteen, and various other 

 points may be observed which justify the constitution of a valid 

 sub-species. 



The apparent reluctance of this bird to quit the nest was due 

 to the presence of an egg, which, after casting lots as to who should 

 secure it, fell to the third member of our party. This was success- 

 fully secured, but it was not a very easy undertaking, owing to the 

 crowded growth of the upper branches, though the use of a small 

 hand-axe eased matters considerably. After carefully packing the 

 egg, and when about to proceed on our way, we viewed another nest 



