ON ORNITHOLOGY. 411 



I consider this to be a very interesting question, and further 

 researches may very materially increase our knowledge of the 

 instinct of birds, their wanderings and the extent of ground 

 they traverse in the pursuit of prey. In this latter respect, 

 especially in the case of the raptorial birds, we seem to draw 

 the line rather too tightly. 



In the spring of 1878 I had frequent opportunities of 

 observing the Cinereous Vulture at its nest. In the splendid 

 woods of Syrmia it breeds everywhere, and starting from the 

 village of Cerevic on the right bank of the Danube I made, as 

 already related, a series of excursions among the wonderful 

 forests of the Fruska-Gora. 



Everywhere I met with Cinereous Vultures. I saw them 

 cruising high aloft, looking out for plunder, sitting on the old 

 oaks, gorged, and also busy at their nests, but never more 

 than eight of them together. 



In those districts the Cinereous Vulture is a true forest- 

 bird as regards its nesting and roosting-places, for both are 

 situated in the midst of woods many miles in extent. Its food 

 it seeks beyond the wooded mountains, among the bare stony 

 hills that slope partly northwards to the Danube and partly 

 southwards to the valley of the Save, and I am also quite 

 convinced that the Cinereous Vultures which breed in the 

 Fruska-Gora range into the Bosnian and Servian mountains 

 in search of food, the great wing-power of this bird allowing 

 me to draw this conclusion with safety. 



This vulture likes to rest oil rocks during the afternoon, 

 and where they are scarce appears to search for them, for we 

 found in the midst of the Fruska-Gora woods only one very 

 small group of rocky pinnacles, which were, however, crowded 

 with vultures in the afte'rnoon, while the incredible quantities 

 of droppings, castings, and feathers lying about them showed 

 that the spot must be a favourite resort of these huge 

 raptorial birds. 



