o4 
Mr. W. Theobald makes the following note of this bird’s 
breeding in the neighbourhood of Pind Dadan Khan and 
Katas in the Salt Range. “ Lay in the 3rd week of March, eggs 
two only, shape long oval, size O53 to 2°75 inches in length and 
from 1°84 to 1:90 in breadth. Colour, pale brownish red, thickly 
blotched with dark brownish red ; nest, a few twigs placed in 
holes of cliffs and difficult to approach.” Mr. W. Blewitt records 
taking some 20 nests of this species in the neighbourhood of 
Hansee between the 20th of March and the end of April 
1868. The nests were all on trees, Peepul, Sheeshum, Bur- 
got, Neem and Keekur, none were more than 21 feet from 
the ground and one was ata height of only 12 feet. They 
varied from 12 to 18 inches in diameter, and from 38 to 7 inches 
in thickness; some were slightly, some densely, put together, 
and were composed in almost every instance of small 
branches and twigs of the Ber and Keekur, both thorny trees. 
One nest had no lining, the others were more or less lined with 
straw, feathers, leaves, and rags, one or all, while in many 
instances rags were plentifully incorporated in the body of the 
structure. ‘T'wo was the number of eggs in each nest, some 
of those taken at the end of April were still quite fresh. 
There can be little doubt, I think, that the egg figured by 
Dr. Bree as belonging to Bonelli’s eagle, was really a Neo- 
phlron’s. 
Dr. Jerdon says that this vulture is common in Egypt, but 
Mons. Jules Verreaux long ago wrote out to Colonel ‘Tytler, 
that the Egyptian species (V. Percnopterus) was distinct from 
our Indian bird, which therefore stands as WV. Ginginianus ; and 
Mr. Blyth remarks (Ibis, 1866), “In the gardens of the Zoo- 
logical Society there were lately four white Rachamas or 
Neophrons, one from Africa, and three from India. ‘They were 
evidently of two distinct specific races. The African (Lev. Ois 
Vafr. t. 14; Viellot gal. des ois. t. 2; Jard, and’Selb. Il. orn. pl. 
23; Gould’s B. Eur. pl. 3) is larger and more robust, the tarsi 
and toes conspicuously so. ‘The corneous portion of the bill is 
black, and the ceral portion is of a reddish yellow, different 
from the purer yellow of the cheeks; the talons also are black, 
and the cuneate tail passes the tips of the closed wings by an 
inch or more. 
In the three Indian birds, the corneous portion of the bill is a 
pure yellowish flesh colour, as are also the talons; the ceral 
portion of the bill is of the same yellow as the cheeks, the 
points of the closed wings just reach to the tail tip ; and a con- 
spicuous fold of skin is continued from beneath the ear to the 
throat underneath, which is little more than indicated in the 
