EGYPTIAN VULTURE. 



Neophron percnopterus, SAVIGKY. 



Vultur " BEWICK. 



Cathartes " TEMMINCK. 



Neophron Quaere, ne Intensitive, and Osphraino To smell. 



Percnopterus, percos, or percnos Black, or spotted with black. Pteron 



A wing. 



THIS species is, as might be gathered from its name, most 

 numerous in Africa, being met with from the Isthmus of Suez 

 to the Cape of Good Hope. It is also widely spread throughout 

 Europe, being found in Spain, France, Italy, and Malta; in 

 Turkey, very abundantly, in Switzerland, Norway, and other 

 parts of this continent, as also in India; and has occurred, but 

 only on one occasion, as mentioned below, in England. Perhaps 

 the more cleanly state of our towns, as compared with the 

 condition of those on the continent, may in some degree account 

 for this unfrequency, as making its presence as unnecessary to 

 us as uncongenial to itself. 



Two specimens of this bird, supposed to be a pair, were 

 observed in Somersetshire, near the shore of the Bristol Channel, 

 in the month of October, in the year 1825 one of them was 

 on the wing at the time, and was seen in the neighbourhood 

 for a few days afterwards; the other was feeding on a dead 

 sheep, and being either too hungry or too sated to be disposed 

 to leave it, was easily approached sufficiently near to be shot. 

 It was preserved, and came into the possession of the Rev. A. 

 Matthew, of Kilve, in the before-named county. 



The Egyptian Vulture, like others of its tribe, delights and 

 revels in the most decomposed carcases, the natural consequence 

 of which is, a most disgusting odour from itself, and when 

 dead it quickly putrefies. Occasionally it will feed on reptiles, 

 by way perhaps of a more delicate meal, and on small animals; 

 sometimes, through lack of other food, it will 'follow the 

 plough,' for the sake of the worms and insects turned up by 

 it, but its favourite haunt seems to be the sea- shore, where 



