HIS NOTES ON THE LILFOIM) COLLECTION 257 



which afford most amusement to our numerous 

 visitors are a Black and a Griffon Vulture 

 which have been here since 1805 and 1867. 

 They were both taken in my presence from 

 their respective nests in Spain. The former 

 bird is a female, and for the last twelve or 

 thirteen years has regularly made a large nest 

 and laid from one to three eggs annually. 

 Since the Griffon (of whose sex I am uncer- 

 tain) has been in the same compartment with 

 this Black Vulture, it has annually taken a share 

 in making the nest, and displayed quite equal 

 ferocity on the approach of human visitors. 

 The first egg is generally laid during the first 

 week of March. 



' As I considered the pairing of these two 

 birds — though extremely improbable — as not 

 entirely impossible, I have once or twice left 

 the eggs in the nest, but, although assiduously 

 incubated by both birds, they have invariably 

 proved infertile. However, for months after 

 the eggs have been removed the Black Vulture, 

 when anyone approaches the front of the com- 

 partment, goes through a variety of most 

 grotesque antics that provoke the most stolid 



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