70 



of Cape Town, in Caffi'aria and Natal, and also in Abyssinia, 

 extending northwards to Egj^^t, and from thence westward to 

 Morocco. It is also included in the list of biixls collected by 

 Major Denham, during his travels in Bornou. In Europe it 

 inhabits Spain, and visits the south of France as a vernal 

 migrant in considerable numbers ; nesting iu the Pp'enees. 

 It also occiu's in Italy, in Hungary, in the Danubian provinces 

 (where it is said to be very numerous), in Turkey, in Greece, 

 and in the Crimea. It occurs occasionally in Germany and 

 Silesia, and a single specimen has been obtained in the south 

 of Ireland. This si^ecies is also foimd in the Island of Sardinia, 

 in Candia, and in the Grecian Archipelago. In Asia, the 

 localities which this Vulture has been ascertained to inhabit 

 are — the Caucasus, Asia Minor, Syiia, the Himalaya Moimtains, 

 Ladak, Nepal, and Assam, and it also oceiu's occasionally ra 

 the Indian Peninsida. The Fulvous Griffon Vulture is a species, 

 the varioiis individuals of which often differ much in size, and 

 the smaller specimens have, by some naturalists, been supposed 

 (but, as flir as I can judge, erroneously,) to form a distinct 

 species — ^to which (as such examples frequently occm* in south- 

 western Europe) the specific name of " occidentalis" has been 

 applied. The South African examples of this species were 

 described by Le Vaillant imder the name of " Le Chassefiente," 

 and they have also received the specific name of "Kolbii." They 

 are not, however, in my opinion, specifically distinct from the 

 more northern specimens of the true Gyps fulvus. It should, 

 however, be mentioned that both South African and Indian 

 specimens of this vultiu'e are less fulvous iu theii- coloming 

 than those from other localities. The food of this vultiu'e con- 

 sists of carrion, as well as sometimes of excrementory sub- 

 stances, and it is fi-equently attracted to the Adcinity of human 

 habitations by the facility of finding various offal and refuse in 

 such situations. It also frequents the sea coast, and the banks 

 and islands of some of the large rivers, in search of shell fish 

 and Crustacea, and also in quest of dead fish which may acci- 



