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nearly allied species, will be interesting. Mr. O. Salvin in his 
5 months’ bird-nesting in the eastern Atlas, has the following 
remarks on the Griffon Vulture. 
* In one instance only did we find an egg and a young one 
in the same nest ; in all other cases, one egg, or one young one, 
was the invariable number. The eggs appear to be laid in the 
month of February, as most of the nests contained young in the 
beginning of April. During the time of incubation, one of the 
parent birds sits constantly, and if frightened off, returns im- 
mediately. The nest is composed almost entirely of sticks, 
which are used in greater or less abundance, as the situation 
requires. The eggs obtaimed from wild birds, generally show 
indications of natural colouring, in addition to the blood and 
dirt with which they are usually stained. This colouring is 
dispersed in faint spots of a reddish hue sometimes all over 
the egg, but generally at the larger or smaller end. Of the 
four eggs in my collection, three exhibit traces of this marking. 
The eggs usually placed in collections are laid by birds kept in 
confinement, and this colouring is not observable.” 
The Rev. H. B. Tristram tells us that “The numbers of the 
Griffon Vultures in every part of Palestine are amazing ; they 
are found at all seasons of the year. I do not think that 
I ever surveyed a landscape without its being enlivened by the 
circling of a party of Griffons. Many colonies of eyries came 
under our observation in the gorge of the wady Kelt, (the sup- 
posed Cherith) near Jericho ; in the cliffs near Heshbon, under 
Mount Nebo, in the ravine of the Jabbok, in a gorge near Am- 
mam, the ancient Rabbah ; two large colonies inhabit wadys on 
the north and east sides of Mount Carmel, whence we procured 
several eggs, but the most populous of all, were the ‘ Grif- 
fonries’ in the stupendous cliffs of the wady Hamam, ‘ the 
Robber’s Caves’ to the south-west and in the deep glen of the 
wady Leimem at the north-west of the plain of Gennesaret. 
We collected about twenty eggs. In no nest did we ever find 
more than a single egg, or young bird.” 
Mr. Tristram further points out the interesting fact, that the 
Hebrew word “ nesher” rendered in our version of the Serip- 
tures “ eagles,” really, like the Arabic “ nissr,’” refers to the 
Griffon Vulture, “ the most majestic of birds” he remarks “ in 
action and appearance, and the type of the Assyrian deity 
Nisroch. The expression “ who enlargeth thy baldness as an 
eagle’s” (nesher) evidently applies only to the Griffon.” 
