238 



ACCIPITRES. BIRDS. VULTURID-E. 



nearly naked bluish skin, and the neck with a very 

 short down ; the latter is surrounded at its base by a 

 frill or collar of long, soft feathers, which also occurs in 

 many other species. The cere is of a violet colour, 

 and the feet greyish. The nest of this bird is built 

 upon the most inaccessible rocks, where it forms a flat 

 mass of sticks, three or four feet in diameter. Upon 

 this platform the female deposits two, or rarely three 

 eggs, which are white, with a very faint bluish tinge. 



THE TAWNY VULTUEE (Gyps Fulvus) fig. 96, page 

 237 is another European species, which is met with 

 abundantly in the same situations as the preceding. It 

 appears to be particularly common in Greece, Turkey, 

 and the Grecian Archipelago; but we must remark that, 

 according to some modern writers, the birds found in 

 the eastern and western parts of Europe belong to dis- 

 tinct species. To those inhabiting the Pyrenees, Spam, 

 and Sardinia they give the name of Gyps occidentalism 

 whilst for those found in the mountains of Europe, 

 from Italy eastward, they retain that of Gyps fulvus. 

 The differences between the two forms are veiy slight, 

 the principal distinctive character being derived from 

 the form of the feathers on the lower surface of the 

 body. These are rounded at the tip hi the western 

 form, and pointed in the eastern. Specimens, probably 

 of the former, sometimes find their way into this coun- 

 try. The general colour of the plumage in all is tawny, 

 deeper on the upper parts-; the head and neck are 

 covered with a whitish down ; the nostrils, as hi the 

 other species of the genus Gyps, are much elongated, 

 and placed perpendicularly to the length of the beak ; 

 at the base of the neck there is a frill of long white 

 downy plumes, which gives the bird a singular aspect ; 

 the beak is livid, with the tip blackish, and its base is 

 enveloped hi a flesh-coloured cere. This fine bird, 

 which is but little smaller than the Arabian vulture, is 

 said to be a summer visitor to most of those parts of 

 Europe in which its occurrence is recorded, retreating 

 at the approach of whiter to the African continent, on 

 which, according to Le Vaillant, it even extends its 

 journies as far as the Cape of Good Hope. It feeds, 

 like the rest of its family, upon carrion ; and when a 

 party of these vultures has once taken possession of the 

 carcass of a large animal, they are said never to quit it 

 as long as a morsel of the flesh remains, so that they 

 may be seen perched hi the same spot for days together. 

 When fully fed, or rather crammed with food, they are 

 quite incapable of flight ; and if suddenly disturbed hi 

 this happy condition, they are compelled to disgorge 

 the greater part of their banquet before they can rise 

 into the ah*. They also resort to this process for the 

 purpose of feeding their young, never carrying any 

 portion to the nest hi their beak or talons, but throwing 

 up some portion of their own half-digested food to 

 satisfy the cravings of then 1 offspring. When a supply 

 of carrion is not to be had, these vultures are said 

 occasionally to attack living annuals. This bird builds, 

 like the preceding species, upon the highest rocks, and 

 forms its nest in the same manner. Its eggs are two 

 or three hi number, of a greyish-white colour, more or 

 less covered with reddish spots. 



KOLBE'S VULTURE (Gyps Kolbii), another species 

 of this genus, which is very common at the Cape of 



Good Hope, is called Chasse-fiente by the French 

 writers, from its habit of devouring ordure as well as 

 carrion. This species also feeds upon molluscs, crabs, 

 tortoises, and even insects. 



THE BENGAL VULTUEE (Gyps Bengalensis} is a 

 smaller species, measuring only about two feet and a 

 half in length ; its general colour is brown, with the 

 head and neck pale chestnut, and the bill livid, tipped 

 with black. It is a gregarious bird, flying and feeding 

 in flocks, and also building its nests in small societies 

 among the branches of tall trees. In their habits these 

 birds are very similar to the preceding species, feeding, 

 like them, upon carrion, and gorging themselves into a 

 state of inactivity whenever an occasion presents itself. 

 The recognition of the good service which they render 

 to the public health protects them from disturbance, so 

 that, like licensed scavengers, they are allowed to go 

 about their duty business without molestation. They 

 consequently lose ah 1 shyness but are exceedingly 

 cowardly, giving way to dogs, jackals, and even crows. 

 Notwithstanding their gregarious habits, they squabble 

 exceedingly when feeding; but these quarrels go no 

 further than screaming and hissing, for they seldom 

 or never fight. The nest is described as consisting of 

 a thick mass of branches and twigs, intermixed with 

 dead leaves ; the birds appear to lay only a single egg, 

 which is of large size and perfectly white. Lieutenant 

 Button, who obtained a young vulture of this species 

 from the nest, found that its progress towards maturity 

 was exceedingly slow. Although it fed greedily it could 

 not stand at six weeks old, and the down did not begin 

 to give place to quill-feathers until it was more than a 

 month old. At two months it was completely fledged. 

 Lieutenant Hutton gives the Mowing account of the 

 manners of this somewhat disagreeable pet : He says, 

 " It was so tame as to become a perfect nuisance ; for 

 no sooner did it see any person than it ran towards 

 them, screaming and flapping its long wings, with the 

 head bent low, and neck drawn hi towards the body, 

 often pecking at the feet of the person thus intercepted. 

 Many are the thumps and kicks the luckless bird 

 received from the servants, who most cordially hated 

 him, as their bare feet were often assailed and cut 

 with the sharp blows of his curved beak. Still, through 

 good and evil, he remained with us, roosting at night 

 sometimes on the top of my bungalow, and at others 

 wandering to some of the neighbours. Often did I 

 wish that he would take unto himself the wings of the 

 morn and flee away; for he never entered the house 

 without making it so offensive as to be scarcely bear- 

 able." 



THE PONDICHEEEY VULTUEE (Otogyps calvus) 

 is another Indian species, greatly resembling the 

 preceding hi its habits. It belongs, however, to a 

 different genus, distinguished by having the head and 

 neck quite bare of feathers, and by the skin of the 

 former being curiously folded about the aperture of the 

 ear. The nostrils resemble those of the genus Gyps in 

 their position. The plumage of the Pondicherry Vul- 

 ture is of a blackish-brown colour, with the wings black ; 

 the head and neck are flesh-coloured ; the crop is sur- 

 rounded by a longish white down ; the beak is blue- 

 black, with a yellow cere ; and the feet are yellow. 



