( 60 ) 

 VULTURES. 



Though not nice birds from their habits, fulfil a most useful duty, 

 as scavangers, and judging from their numbers round Rangoon, 

 must greatly help the municipality in the removal of offal. 



The common bird is the Indian White-backed vulture (No. 1 169. 

 Psuedogyps bengalensis.) It is large replusive looking bird with 

 naked head and neck, dark brown body and wings, lower back and 

 under parts white. 



The Black or King Vulture (No. 1191. Otogyps calvus). Is the 

 large black vulture with a conspicuous red head. It is not nearly so 

 common as the last, only one or two being present at the disgusting 

 orgies attended by the commoner bird, and are very noticeable from 

 their larger size and handsome appearance. 



Vultures are early breeders, beginning breeding operations at the 

 end of the rains, building huge nests in the forks of high trees, and 

 laying a single white egg. 



XXIX 



PIGEONS 



The Columbia are a well marked group of birds, many of them 

 well worth shooting from a shikar and culinary point of view, and as 

 they are ignored by the majority of books on ga^e birds, I have 

 tried to describe them rather more fully, and hope that these rough 

 notes may be of use to sportsmen, who take an interest in what they 

 shoot. 



Pigeons and doves have clearly defined family characteristics, and 

 can be easily divided up into groups by well marked features. They 

 build loose platforms of sticks as nests, which are generally placed in 

 trees or bushes. These seemingly untidy constructions are wonderful 

 when it is remembered that they have to bear the weight both of 

 parent bird and young. The Rock-pigeons, from which the domestic 

 pigeon is descended, are an exception, as they build in holes of cliffs 

 and buildings. The majority of the family lay two white eggs, the 

 Imperial and Wood-pigeons, however, laying only a single one. 



The Pigeons may be divided up into two main groups by the number 

 of their tail feathers: 



I. Those having 14 tail feathers. 



This group includes A. The Green Pigeons. 



B. The Imperial Pigeons. 



The following being found in Burma : 



A. The Green Pigeons. 

 (t) The Common or Bengal Green-pigeon. 

 (2) The Ashy-head or Phayre's Green-pigeon* 



