4 " 



GYPS, Savigny, 1870. 



710. GRIFFON VULTURE. 



GYPS FULVUS. 



Gyps fulvus (Gmel.), Syst. Xat, i. p. 249 (1788) ; (Xaura.), i. p. 162, 

 Taf. 2, xiii. Taf. 338 ; (Gould), B. of E. i. pi. 1 ; Newton, i. p. 1 ; 

 Dresser, v. p. 373, pis. 319, 320 ; Sharpe, Cat. B. Br. Mus. i. p. 5 ; 

 Blanf. F. Brit. Ind. Birds, iii. p. 320 ; Saunders, p. 311 ; Lilford, 

 i. p. 77, pi. 39 ; G. hispaniolensis Sharpe, Cat. B. Br. Mus. i. p. 6 

 (1874) ; G. fulvescem Hume, Ibis, 1869, p. 356. 



Vautour Griffon, French ; Griffo, Portug. ; Buitre, Span. ; 

 Grifone, Ital. ; Gclnsegeier, German ; Bjelogolovoi Griff ] Russ. ; 

 Nissr, Arab, ; Enisser, Moor. 



ad. (S. Europe). Head and neck sparingly covered with white hairs ; 

 ruff composed of white down, which is more profuse on the hind-neck ; 

 upper parts stone-buff, the middle of the larger wing-coverts darker ; wings 

 and tail darker, the former washed with grey ; under parts stone-buff, the 

 crop patch darker, with lighter stripes ; bill slate ; iris hazel ; legs light 

 brown. Culmen 3'4, wing 30'0, tail 14'9, tarsus 4'0 inch. Sexes alike. 

 The young birds have the feathers on the back, scapulars, and wing-coverts 

 pointed, the ruff feathers elongate, and fawn-coloured. 



Hctb. Southern Europe ; of rare occurrence in Central and 

 Northern Europe ; has once been obtained in Ireland ; Africa 

 south to Nubia; Asia east to Nepal and Sikhim, south to 

 Khandish and the Deccan. 



Is essentially a carrion eater, and will feed on any refuse. It 

 hunts by sight alone, and does not discover a carcass if covered 

 with grass or boughs. On the ground it is heavy and inert, 

 and where carrion is plentiful will gorge to excess. On the 

 wing however it is active and even graceful. It breeds in 

 communities in the rocks, constructing a carelessly built nest. 

 of sticks lined with grass which is placed on the bare rock, and 

 from February to April it deposits a single egg, or sometimes 

 two, which are white, rather rough in shell, but occasionally, 

 though rarely, the egg is slightly spotted with red. In size 

 they average 3'63 by 2'72. 



711. HIMALAYAN GRIFFON. 

 GYPS HIMALAYENSIS. 



Gyps himalayensis, Hume, Eough Notes, p. 12 (1869) ; Sharpe, Cat. B. 

 Br. Mus. i. p. 8 ; Blanford, F. Brit. Ind. Birds, iii. p. 321 ; G. 

 nivicola, Severtzoff, Turk. Jevot. p. 111. pi. vii. (1873). 



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