43 
Entolmetus Bonellii, Limnetus Nipalensis, and Aquila 
Chrysztus to the Lammergeyer. The first and second of these 
will carry of fowls, ducks, pigeons, and other poultry readily, 
and do so whenever and wherever they can get at them. 
Aquila Chryszetus will kill and carry off young deer and kids, 
as I have myself seen. Entolmetus Bonellii will, as readily, 
knock over a young deer, full grown hare, or snap up a 
monkey, as he will a duck or hen, indeed I have myself seen 
them do it. In all such cases the poor Hdrrphoor is always put 
forward as the guilty party by the Shikaris who, at times, 
will frame the most exaggerated charges against the finest yet 
most harmless of our hill birds. 
“The structure of the Lammergeyer’s feet, hardly I think, 
admits of its killing and carrying off living prey. I believe that 
a great deal of what has been absurdly written about its depre- 
dations might well be refuted by studying the anatomical struc- 
ture of its feet.” 
On the whole, I am at present inclined to think we ought to 
separate our Indian bird asa distinct species; if so, Hutton’s 
name G. Hemachalanus will I fancy stand. 
Mr. Gurney says that the young birds from the Himalayahs, 
have arow of small feathers running down the outer side of the 
mid toe, half way down the first jomt. I have been able to 
find no trace of this in any of the five this year’s birds that I 
have recently examined, and I would direct the attention of 
Indian observers to this alleged peculiarity.* It may prove to 
have been only a monstrosity in Mr. Gurney’s specimen. 
Some natives at Almora first drew my attention to the 
fact. noticed’ above by Mr. Thompson that the Lammergeyer 
habitually drops large bones from a considerable height, 
on to the rocks, with the object, they assert, of breaking 
them and getting at the marrow. I myself, on one occasion, 
actually saw one of these birds drop a large shin bone of an 
ox in this way ; but, whether it was my presence or what, I 
cannot say, he made no attempt to follow up the operation, 
but sailed straight away, having I thought at the time 
merely dropped the bone, (which though fresh was quite 
bare), because he found it to be clean picked. One thing is 
certain, viz. that this bird sometimes devours what it has in its 
claws, as it flies, much as kites will do. This I have twice 
myself witnessed, and Captain Hutton has recorded the same 
fact, it may be that they pick the bones as they go along, and 
drop them when nothing remains on them; by no means in- 
variably descending on the fragments. If, however, they only 
occasionally do this, and this Mr. Thompson proves, it would 
* But see Capt. Hutton’s remarks, supra. 
