60 GLIMPSES OF INDIAN BIRDS 



morsel. And in the Punjab some ravens will also be 

 at the feast. 



There are several species of vulture in India. Next 

 to the scavenger vulture the commonest is the white- 

 backed species (Pseudogyps bengalensis). This is not 

 a bad-looking bird in its solemn lugubrious way. 

 Its general colour is ashy black the black of a thread- 

 bare coat. Its back is white, but this is usually nearly 

 entirely hidden by the dark wings, and shows merely 

 as a thin streak of white along the middle of the back. 

 The dark grey head and neck are almost devoid of 

 feathers and their nakedness is accentuated by a ruff 

 or collar of whitish feathers. The bareness of the 

 head makes the large hooked beak look longer and 

 bigger than it really is. The bird is nearly a yard 

 in length. 



A yet finer bird is the black, King, or Pondicherry 

 vulture (Otogyps calvus). The back and wings of 

 this species are glossy black relieved by white patches 

 on the thighs. Its bare head and neck are yellowish 

 red, and there is a wattle of this colour on each side 

 of the head. This vulture, unlike the last species, 

 is solitary, and is called the " King vulture " be- 

 cause, when it comes to a carcase, all the vulgar herd 

 of smaller vultures, kites, and crows give way before 

 it, and, as a rule, are afraid to approach until this 

 regal bird has had its fill. 



Vultures build huge platforms of nests high up in 

 lofty trees, and, like sand martins, rear up their young 

 in the winter. 



