30 
upper two-thirds of the neck, dusky plumbeous with sparse 
inconspicuous, brownish hairs, which, however, are longer, denser 
and more conspicuous on the occiput. The upper half of the 
back of the neck densely clad with soft, velvetty, white feathers. 
Below this, a prominent white ruff on the back of the neck, 
extending rather further forward towards the front of the neck 
than the above mentioned white, velvetty feathers do. The base 
of the neck, where it joins the back, shoulders, scapulars, tail 
and upper tail coverts, primaries, and wing coverts, a dull 
blackish brown. The secondaries, and tertiaries, paler and much 
tinged, especially on the outer webs, with brownish grey, a trace 
of which is also visible on the later primaries. The 2nd to the 
7th primary, emarginate on the outer web, and the Ist to the 6th, 
conspicuously notched on the inner web. The rump, and lower 
back, pure white. The centre of the upper breast, and the lower 
part of the front of the neck, in fact what is commonly known 
in vultures as the crop patch, clad with very close, blackish 
brown, furlike feathers, with a white border of long down on 
either side, which extends into a sort of triangular patch at each 
side, at the base of the neck, nearly in the centre of which is a 
small, round, and quite bare spot, of a dull pinkish hue; sides, 
lower breast, and abdomen, and longer axillaries, dark brown, or 
blackish brown, each feather with a linear or narrow central 
white stripe, most conspicuous towards the tips. The shorter 
axillaries, and a patch in the axilla, pure white; edge of the 
wing, and all the smallest of the lower wing coverts blackish 
brown ; the rest of the wing lining, pure white. Thigh coverts 
and lower tail coverts, very dark brown; feathers of interior of 
thigh, pure white. In a younger bird, the corneous portion of 
the bill was horny black, paler on the culmen, and towards the 
edge of the cere. The lores and cheeks were bluish, a patch 
over the eye, the chin and skin on sides of lower mandible, a 
sad dove colour, or plumbeous brown. The rest of the bare skin, 
dingy greenish white, here and there spotted with leaden 
rown. 
The Ibis (1865) notices a paper of Dr. Salvadori, the object 
of which was to prove the specific distinctness of the white 
backed Vultures of India and Africa. “The chief differences are 
thus summarised.”’ 
Gyps Bengalensis. Gyps, sp. 
(ex Asia). (ex Africa) 
Beak, thick, yellowish, at the| Beak, compressed, elongated, 
thickest part, at the tip. anne black. 
General colour,black cinereous.| General colour, greyish cream. 
