Letters, Ejtidvts, and Soles. 209 



^ AVlien drinking", the birds sat ou a prominent stone which 

 projected out from the middle of the water, and always took 

 frequent and long draughts. The bird which took a bath 

 aliglited at first close to the edge of the sti'eam, then walked 

 slowly into it, and dipped its head several times in the water 

 and splashed about with its wings. After a short time it 

 walked back to the edge of the stream, preened its feathers 

 a little, spread out its wings — apparently to dry them, and 

 then took another dip. This was repeatctl several times, 

 and the bath lasted for from ten to fifteen minutes. 



I had no bottle or other vessel with me, and was therefore 

 nnable to bring away any of the water from this stream 

 wiih a view to getting it analysed, as it would have been 

 interesting to know for certain whether it contained any 

 iron in solution or not. The next time that I happen to 

 visit this spot I shall not forget to bring away some of 

 the water. 



I see that Captain F. E. S. Adair, in his book ^ A Summer 

 in High Asia' (p. 222), mentions having shot a Lammer- 

 geyer close to the Tagalang Pass, in Ladakh, when it was 

 " drinking water at a stream " 



It seems significant that in confinement the Bearded 

 Vulture loses, or does not acquire, its tawny tint. Would 

 it be possible to acquire this colouring matter on its feathers 

 from mud-baths ? I throw out tiiis suggestion, because two 

 or three years ago I noticed a Lammergeyer indulging in a 

 bath of this nature on the ledge of a precipice. The bath 

 lasted for about five minutes, and at the end of it the bird 

 shook its feathers, raising a thick cloud of dust, just as 

 a fowl does. The late Dr. Adams appears also to have 

 noticed these birds indulging in such baths, for he says : 

 "A red or cinnamon-coloured powder is plentifully dis- 

 tributed among the feathers of the neck and breast of young 

 and adult individuals, and would seem to be composed of 

 soil containing iron, which they obtain from dusting them- 

 selves like other birds — a habit much indulged in by the 



SER. IX. VOL. VI. p 



