44 THE GRIFFON VULTURE. 



The Griffon Vulture (Vultur Fulvus). Linn. 



This vulture is not so large as the preceding. It inhabits 

 the mountainous parts of the north of Europe, Silesia, Dal- 

 matia, the Tyrol, Spain (where, near Gibraltar, it is abundant), 

 the Alps, the Pyrenees, Turkey, and the Grecian Archipelago. 

 Its nest is usually made upon the most elevated and inaccessible 

 rocks, or upon the highest trees of the forest. Its eggs (like 

 the rest of the tribe) are generally two or three in number, of 

 a dull greenish or greyish white, slightly marked with pale, 

 reddish spots, and have a rough surface. The one I measured is 

 3f long by 2f inches. 



The single occurrence of a solitary specimen of this bird in 

 Ireland being communicated to Mr Yarrel, he figured it in his 

 Supplement to his "British Birds." I have therefore intro- 

 duced it here. We have the best account of its habits by Le 

 Vaillant, who says they lay two eggs generally, but sometimes, 

 though rarely, three. At this time they resort in great numbers 

 to the rocks in the highest situations, and that a single 

 precipice will contain as many nests as there are suitable places 

 for them. The birds live very amicably together (like our 

 common guillemots, rooks, or herons). He has seen three nests 

 placed side by side in the same cave. During incubation the 

 male stands sentinel at the mouth of the hole, thus pointing 

 out where the nest is, but that is almost always inaccessible. 

 He often risked his life to examine the eggs and young birds \ 

 and, with the aid of his Hottentot assistants, sometimes over- 

 came all difficulties — although the approach to their retreat was 

 so slippery as greatly to increase the danger of getting at the 

 den itself. Like all birds of this tribe it feeds principally upon 

 carrion, to which it is often attracted in considerable numbers. 

 When it has once made a lodgment upon its prey it rarely quits 

 it while a morsel of flesh remains, so that it is not uncommon to 

 see it perched on a putrefying carcase for several successive 

 days. It never attempts to carry off a portion — even for its 

 young — but feeds them by disgorging the half-digested carrion 

 from its maw. But this characteristic is not confined to the 

 vulture. For the common pigeon and rook, having first filled 

 their own crop or maw, fly home to their young, and by dis- 

 gorging feed them. Our next vulture friend is 



