THE GRIFFON VULTURES. 1 19 



Supposing that the Spanish Griffon is not distinct, a fact by 

 no means yet proved with certainty, for lack of specimens, the 

 range of Gypsfulvus may be said to extend over the Mediter- 

 ranean countries, and probably extends far into the Soudan, as 

 Major Denham brought one back from his adventurous journey 

 across Africa. I often think that if the brave traveller had not 

 brought a bulky Griffon's skin, but had collected small birds to 

 the same extent, what an insight he might have given us to the 

 avifauna of Central Africa, which remains an unknown quan- 

 tity to the present day ! The European Griffon undoubtedly 

 frequents North-eastern Africa and the Red Sea district, as 

 far south as Aden, and extends eastwards through Asia Minor 

 to Persia, and probably to Turkestan, though here the reigning 

 species may be the Indian Gypsfulvescens. 



Habits. The Griffon Vulture preys exclusively on dead 

 animals, and there can be little doubt that it seeks its prey 

 entirely by sight and not by the sense of smell, as many ob- 

 servers have suggested. Captain Willoughby Verner, who 

 has climbed to many Griffons' eyries, says that the stench 

 about the nests is dreadful, "an indescribable sickly odour." 

 Mr. Seebohm writes : " The stench of the Griffonries is 

 almost insupportable. The entrance to the cavern or cleft 

 in the rock looks as if pails of whitewash had been emptied 

 upon it ; and the effluvia of ammonia and putrefaction are 

 overpowering to all but the most enthusiastic oologist. One 

 visit to the nest of a Vulture is sufficient to dispose for ever 

 of the theory that these birds hunt by scent, and are en- 

 dowed with highly-sensitive olfactory nerves. The only con- 

 dition in which the existence of animal life seems possible in 

 a Griffonry, is in the case of animals absolutely devoid of any 

 sense of smell whatever." 



When in flight, a Griffon Vulture is a grand bird, and will sail 

 almost for a distance of a mile without once flapping its wings, 

 and in the air they float round and round without a movement 

 of the wings, probably by some inclination of the primaries, 

 which sometimes seem to be curved upwards. In the Hima- 

 layas I have seen them thus sweep over the tops of the high 

 mountains and glide across the valleys with a sailing flight, 

 till one could scarcely judge the distance, without any appa- 

 rent movement of their wings. 



