37 
fellows, a young light lad of 15, offered to go over the precipice 
with the rope round him. We made the rope fast to a tree 
above, and the boy’s brother, a sturdy Pathan, payed out the 
rope, and the young fellow went over most gallantly. Both 
Lammergeyers now came flying round, but did not evince any 
great courage, for after | had hurled some bits of rock at them, 
the male went off altogether, and the female only hovered about 
at some distance. The young Pathan now got into the nest 
and walked about init. It was a large structure of sticks and 
completely filled up the hollow, or cave, in which it was placed. 
Tt was lined with locks of the hair of hill goats, on which the 
eggs were placed; there was also one piece of cloth in the nest, 
some blue cotton stuff, by which I was ,eminded of this bird’s 
relationship to Neophron. ‘The eggs were set, I should think, 
from 15 to 18 days.” 
The only 2 eggs that I, as yet, possess of this species, I owe 
to Captain Cock, and these were taken as above described. They 
are excessively like one of the common types of the eggs 
Neophron Ginginianus, but of course immensely larger. Both 
eges are a rather broad oval, somewhat pointed towards one 
end. ‘The length of the bird’s tail and wings, give it an ap- 
pearance of size which would lead one to expect.avery large . 
egg, and Captain Cock was disappointed at finding the eggs 
s> much smaller than those of Gyps Himalayensis. ‘The fact 
is, however, that Gyps Himaiayensis averages some 20 Ibs in 
weight, while the Lammergeyer may average 12 or 13 Ibs; and 
the eggs of this latter are fully as large as average eggs of Gyps 
Bengalensis, which bird averages about the same in weight. 
The texture of the 2 eggs I have, is rather coarse, but the shells 
are more compact, and less chalky than those of the Neophron. 
Neither of the eggs has the slightest gloss. Both have a 
nearly uniform pale salmon buff ground, here and there mottled 
peler. One is devoid of all markings, the other is somewhat 
thinly blotched, clouded, and spotted, in all parts, with pale 
reddish brown, not much darker than the ground colour. 
Doubtless, to judge from the analogy of the Neophron, far more 
highly coloured examples occur. ‘The colour of the shell, when 
held up against the light, is pale dingy yellow, as in Neophron, 
thereby further exhibiting the close affinities of these two species, 
and separating them from the true Vultures, all of whose shells, 
when seen against the light, are, to the best of my belief, a 
more or less dark sea green. 
The eggs measure 3°43 X 2°68 and 3:05 x 2°52. 
It seems probable that, asin the case of the Egyptian Vulture, 
two isthe number of eggs most commonly laid, and that three 
may, not very unfrequently, be found. 
