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GYPS RXJPPELLI (Bonaparte.) 



RUPPELL'S GRIFFON VULTURE. 



Tills well-defined and certaiuly distinct species of Vulture 

 appears to be confined to the Afi-ican continent, where it is 

 found as far southwards as the colony of the Cape of Good 

 Hope, and extends in a north-easterly dii-ection as far as 

 Southern Egypt, Its westerly limits have not been fully ascer- 

 tained, but I have received it from the "West African coast at 

 Bissao. Dr. Riippell, who describes this species under the name 

 of "Vultiu'Kolbii," states that the irides are white, intermixed 

 with serpentine and longitudinal fibre-Uke lines of a brown 

 colom- ; the cere black, the feet lead coloured, and the bare 

 skin on the neck blue above and pinkish below. 



Dr. Yierthaler describes the iris as being of a yellowish 

 brown, and the cere horn coloured. The food of the Riippell's 

 Vultiu-e is stated to consist of carrion and of excrementious 

 substances. This species has been observed to defend itself, 

 when wounded, with a coui-age which is not exhibited by 

 other species of vultures under similar cii-cumstances. This 

 peculiarity is thus described by Dr. Brehm, in his very iuter- 

 estiug journey to Kartoom, published in "Cabanis' Journal 

 of Ornithology" : — " Gyps ruppelli is a regular devil, he goes 

 up to his man like mad, jumps up half a foot high fi-om the 

 ground, and darts his long neck so far fi'om him, that it almost 

 reaches the face of the himter; during this he snaps so audibly 

 with his beak, that his object, to tear opportunely a few ounces 

 of flesh from the face of his enemy, cannot be mistaken. He 

 nms exceedingly fast, carrying his body almost horizontally, 

 and his wings, perhaps, assisting him onwards ; but if you 

 come but near him, he tm-ns round like lightning and rolls 



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