BIRDS ABOUT TOWNS 171 



has a flight more like a crow's than like the 

 stately gliding of most vultures, the mistake 

 in its name is easily understood. A small 

 white vulture is also a common town bird in 

 the drier parts of India and in Egypt ; but 

 people often mistake kites for vultures, and 

 kites are certainly the commonest scavengers 

 in all parts of India I have been in. The 

 strangest of these prowlers after pickings, 

 however, was the great adjutant stork, a huge 

 bald-headed bird about four feet high and 

 eight across the wings, which used to be 

 quite a common street bird in Calcutta during 

 the rainy season, which corresponds to our 

 summer months; indeed, it used to be said 

 that the rains never " broke " till a dozen of 

 these great birds were to be seen on the top of 

 Government House. As some one humorously 

 put it, "Jupiter Pluvius would not sit till 

 they formed a quorum." But that was a 

 score of years ago, in the days when all sorts 

 of carrion and refuse were thrown into the 

 streets, resulting in what was known as the 

 Calcutta smell, which never left one's nose 

 all the while one stayed there. In my time 

 things had been so much improved that only 



