98 EGYPTIAN NEOPHRON. 



tance, but could never be approached within gun- 

 shot. The specimen procured at this time, which 

 its owner kindly sent to Twizel House for the 

 purpose of being introduced into the " Illustra- 

 tions of British Ornithology," we then saw. It 

 was in immature plumage, the dark feathers of 

 the young beautifully mixed with others of a rich 

 cream-yellow. The colour of the naked skin on 

 \\\Q head was of a livid flesh-coloured red, that of 

 the legs of a pale yellowish grey. 



The adult birds have the plumage nearly of 

 a uniform yellowish white or cream colour, 

 excepting the quills, inner webs, and base of 

 \he secondaries ; the former are blackish, the 

 latter liver brown, which, on the outer webs, 

 gradually shades into the cream colour. The 

 feathers on the hind head and neck, are lan- 

 ceolate, very pointed and hackled, and appear 

 to be occasionally raised when the bird is either 

 under the impulse of fear or anger. The head, 

 before the ears is bare of feathers, a few straggling 

 hair-like tufts appearing on the chin, and mark- 

 ing superciliary ridges and a circle around the 

 ears. The skin, on these parts, in the adult 

 birds is gamboge yellow ; but in the Somer- 

 setshire specimen above alluded to, which we 

 saw before it was dried, the colour was livid, 

 this undergoes a change as the bird approaches 

 its mature state. The length of specimens from 

 Southern Africa, is two feet two or three inches. 



