Beautiful on the Wing 373 
It is when the Egyptian Vulture or Neophron, as it is also 
styled, is seen close at hand that it is revealed in all its 
hideousness. The bright yellow shrivelled-up skin of the naked 
nead is most repulsive, whilst the mere knowledge that the bird 
is one of the most unclean of feeders on the surface of the earth 
does not add to its attractiveness. And yet it must be repeated 
few birds present a finer sight when on the wing and still fewer 
lay more beautiful eggs; some varieties being among the hand- 
somest eggs to be seen. True they differ greatly both in their 
colour and in the intensity of their shades but I have at times 
taken eggs which for richness of colouring eclipse even the 
beautiful eggs of the Osprey and the Peregrine. Many birds of 
prey lay very handsome eggs but very few have such gorgeous 
combinations of rich brown madders and purplish markings as have 
some of the Neophron’s eggs in my collection. 
The Egyptian Vulture belongs to a sub-family of the Vultures 
known as the Neophrons and is abundant all along the Mediterranean 
basin and in Northern Africa. It migrates southward every winter 
and has been often met with as far south as Rhodesia. Large 
numbers annually pass northwards through southern Andalucia in 
February and March, whence they spread all over Spain. At this 
time of the year they frequently may be seen collected in consider- 
able numbers in trees. They almost invariably nest in rocks and 
their nesting in trees in Andalucia is so unusual that when I 
many years ago found one nesting in a cork tree it was con- 
sidered a remarkable incident and was duly chronicled as such in 
the /ézs. The allied species in India (MV. gzngzanus) habitually 
nests in trees and I have of late years heard of cases of the 
Egyptian Vulture doing the same in parts of Spain where rocks 
are not found, such as the plains of the Guadalquiver. Opinions 
differ as to whether they ever take living things. Although I 
have seen them constantly at all seasons for many years, | have 
