12 THE VULTURES. 



The vultures that one sees in such numbers on 

 Malabar Hill belong to two species, which are easy 

 enough to distinguish when once one's attention has 

 been turned to the difference between them. The 

 commoner of the two, the White-backed or Bengal 

 Vulture (Gyps bengalensis), is a smokey-black bird, 

 with a band of white extending nearly the whole 

 length of each wing on the under side. This band 

 is broken by the dark body, and that serves to 

 distinguish the bird at a glance. The other species is 

 the Long-billed Vulture (Gyps pallescens ). Jerdon 

 confounded it with another species and called \\.<Gyps 

 indicus. Its general colour is brown, darker or 

 lighter according to age, sometimes almost whitey- 

 brown ; but, however light the under parts may be, 

 body and wings are alike. The two species are about 

 the same size and larger than one would suspect who 

 has only seen them at a distance. A good specimen 

 will measure over seven feet from tip to tip of the 

 wings. There is one curious difference in their 

 habits. The Long-billed Vulture breeds always on 

 high cliffs, while its Bengal brother is content to 

 build its nest on any tree big enough to bear the 

 weight of such a ponderous edifice. I have seen .a 

 single mango tree groaning under several nests. 

 Each nest contains one egg, generally white (if 

 clean), but sometimes blotched with brown. The 

 breeding season extends over the greater part of the 

 year and eggs may be found from September to 

 March at least. Most young birds are hungry and 

 clamorous, like the daughters of the horseleach, 

 crying give, give, from dawn till dusk. But the 

 young vulture learns patience early. Its mother 



