THE BLACK VULTURE. 171 



Genus OTOGYPS, Gray. 



550, OTOGYPS CALVUS. 

 THE BLACK VULTURE. 



Vultur calvus, Scop. Del Faun, et Flor. Insub. ii. p. 85 ; Hume, Rough Notes, i. 

 p. 8 ; Bl. B. Burm. p. 64. Otogyps calvus, Jerd. B. Ind. i. p. 7 ; Hume, Nests 

 and Eggs, p. 1 ; id. S. F. iii. p. 18 ; Sliarpe, Cat. Birds B. Mus. i. p. 14 ; Hume 8f 

 Dav. S. F. vi. p. 1 ; Hume, S. F. viii. p. 81 j Scully, S. F. viii. p. 217 ; Bingham, 

 S. F. ix. p. 142 j Gates, S. F. x. p. 177 j Kelham, Ibis, 1881, p. 364. 



Description. Male and female. General aspect of plumage black ; head 

 and neck naked ; a few small plumes on the head and round the ears ; 

 plumes on the lower neck black, below which is a crescentic patch of 

 white down occupying the upper part of the breast ; a large patch on each 

 flank pure white ; inner side of thighs naked. 



Bill dark brown ; cere, base of bill and the head red ; legs china-white ; 

 claws black ; iris yellow. In some the iris appears to be reddish brown. 



Length 31 inches, tail 10*2, wing 24, tarsus 4'8, bill from gape 2'75. 

 The female appears to be of much the same size. 



The Black Vulture is found sparingly over the whole Province. 



It extends into Siam and Cochin China, and down the Malay peninsula 

 as far at least as Perak, where Lieut. Kelham observed it. It is found in 

 the Indo-Burmese countries and over the greater part of the Indian 

 peninsula. 



This fine Vulture is generally seen in couples associating with other 

 Vultures, and, by virtue of their superior strength, appropriating the best 

 food. It breeds in the early part of the year, making a large stick nest on 

 large trees, frequently at no great height from the ground. It lays a 

 single egg, which is usually unmarked pale greenish white. I once found 

 in March the nest of a Vulture which I at the time considered to be this 

 species ; it contained one young bird, and was built in the celebrated old 

 banyan tree near Pegu, in the roots of which the large image of Guadama 

 is imbedded. The parent birds were not about, and I can only conjecture 

 that the nest belonged to the present species. 



