82 



by the late Mr. T. "W. Atkinson, whose very extensive travels 

 in Central Asia rendered him a high authority on the subject, 

 and who favoured me with the foUowiug communication in 

 reference to it : — " The most northerly regions in which I 

 found the Bearded Vultui-e was in the Alatou mountains, about 

 latitude 44''- Even in the Tarbagatai mountains, in latitude 

 46°-, he is not met with ; nor did I see him dm-ing the whole 

 of my rambles in the Altai. It is my full conviction that he is 

 not found anywhere in these regions. To the south of the 

 Alatou, in the Sj^anshan, they are numerous." 



The above are also the most eastern localities for the 

 Bearded Gypaete which I am able to quote. The Catalogue of 

 the Bii'ds in the British Museum does indeed mention a 

 specimen as having been brought from China, but there is 

 reason to believe that this is in error, and that the bird in 

 question was in fact brought from the Himalaya mountains. 



In Afi'ica, the Bearded Gypaete appears to be limited to 

 the mountains of the Atlas range, being replaced in other 

 mountainous parts of that continent by the succeeding species. 

 It may be right to mention that specimens from the Pyi-ennees 

 and the island of Sardinia, from the Himalayas, and fi'om 

 Central Asia, have been severally supposed by various natural- 

 ists to form distinct species ; but as it seems to me without 

 sufficient reasons to justify such a conclusion, although some 

 variations are unquestionably apparent between siDecimens 

 brought from different localities ; thus the rich rufous tints 

 which characterise the plumage of the adult bii'd on the neck, 

 breast, and abdomen, are much more decided in most speci- 

 mens from the Himalayah and Atlas moimtains than in those 

 from the Alps. Having referred to this rufous tiuge, I may 

 here mention the curious fact tliat this coloimng entirely dis- 

 appears from the plumage of specimens which are kept long in 

 confinement. Individuals fi'om the Himalaya range occasionally 

 present the siagular peculiarity of a row of small feathers run- 

 ning down the outside of the fii'st joint of the middle toe. This 



