193 
He was a much less bird than the female. She measured 
29 inches in length, nearly 70 in expanse, and weighed close 
on 6 ibs. He was only 26 in length, 62 in expanse, and about 
4 ibs. in weight. 
We had now to get the eggs, if eggs there were, because as 
yet we could only guess and surmise in regard to these. Just 
above the recess, the cliff bosomed out with a full swell for some 
two or three feet, effectually preventing any one’s looking down 
into the nest from above, or, except by an accidental cannon in 
the broad groove, such as my boatman had made by a fluke at the 
very first shot, from even throwing anything down into it. Above 
the swell, the cliff was as nearly perpendicular as might be, and 
it really did seem as if getting into that nest would be no easy 
matter. However, some six feet east of the nest, passed a sort of 
fault or crack which traversed the cliff at an angle of about 45 
degrees and down this, a stout rope round the waist, with infinite 
trouble and no little danger, a way was found after all to the nest. 
Once there, it was a firm platform of sticks at least five feet by 
three and a half. In the centre of this, a circle of about twenty 
inches in diameter was smoothed over with fine green twigs of 
the Peeloo, (Sa/vadora Persica), and on this again, a circle of 
about a foot in diameter was smoothly spread with the green 
leathery leaves of the same tree, and on these reposed the coveted 
treasures, two fresh eggs. One of these eggs was bluish white, 
blotched and speckled very feebly, but thickly towards the 
larger end, with pale reddish brown. It measured 3 in length 
by 2°19 in breadth. The other was almost pure bluish white, 
with scarcely any traces of markings any where, and measured 
2°81 in length by 2°13 in breadth. I had always felt morally 
certain, that the egg figured as this bird’s by Dr. Bree never 
belonged to this species, but was probably only a well coloured 
Neophrons, but now the thing was certain. No aquiline bird 
that laid the eggs I had in my hand could ever have laid 
an egg similar to that given in the ‘“ Birds of Europe not 
observed &e.”’ 
A few days later in similar cliffs a few miles higher up, 
I found another nest. This time, however, the platform was 
much larger, and was only about six feet below the top of the 
cliff. One could look into it without the slightest difficulty, 
and a Jackal could assuredly have made his way there with 
ease, as even I got down to it without help and without a rope. 
The platform of sticks was fully five feet in diameter, there was 
the same smooth patch of twigs and smaller smooth circle of 
green leaves, this time of the Peepul (Licus Religiosa) and, as 
in the former case, on the leaves, about five inches, apart lay two 
