﻿Lieut. 
  H. 
  E. 
  Barnes 
  on 
  the 
  Birds 
  of 
  Aden. 
  63 
  

  

  I 
  liad 
  intended 
  on 
  my 
  relief 
  to 
  have 
  taken 
  three 
  months' 
  

   leave^ 
  which 
  I 
  should 
  have 
  devoted 
  to 
  systematically 
  

   working 
  up 
  the 
  avifauna 
  ; 
  but 
  owing 
  to 
  an 
  unfortunate 
  

   accident 
  I 
  was 
  seriously 
  ill 
  for 
  a 
  time 
  and 
  temporarily 
  lost 
  

   the 
  use 
  of 
  my 
  hand, 
  even 
  now 
  having 
  only 
  partially 
  reco- 
  

   vered 
  the 
  use 
  of 
  it, 
  and 
  I 
  cannot 
  hope 
  for 
  any 
  further 
  

   improvement. 
  

  

  Had 
  I 
  been 
  able 
  to 
  carry 
  out 
  my 
  intention 
  I 
  have 
  no 
  

   doubt 
  my 
  list 
  would 
  have 
  been 
  almost 
  doubled 
  — 
  to 
  some 
  

   extent 
  by 
  shore 
  and 
  water-birds, 
  but 
  principally 
  by 
  birds 
  

   from 
  the 
  Lahej 
  district. 
  

  

  I 
  can 
  only 
  hope 
  that 
  my 
  paper 
  will 
  prove 
  a 
  useful 
  supple- 
  

   ment 
  to 
  Major 
  Yerbury^s 
  account 
  published 
  in 
  the 
  ' 
  Ibis 
  '' 
  

   for 
  1886 
  (p. 
  11). 
  

  

  1. 
  Gyps 
  fulvus 
  (Gm.). 
  

  

  I 
  first 
  observed 
  a 
  pair 
  of 
  Griffon 
  Vultures 
  on 
  the 
  4th 
  

   January. 
  They 
  were 
  soaring 
  at 
  a 
  great 
  height, 
  over 
  Marshag 
  

   and 
  Holket 
  Bay, 
  in 
  company 
  with 
  an 
  Eagle 
  or 
  two, 
  and 
  a 
  

   number 
  of 
  Neophrons 
  and 
  Kites. 
  I 
  could 
  not 
  at 
  the 
  time 
  

   distinguish 
  their 
  species. 
  

  

  Later, 
  in 
  February 
  and 
  March, 
  they 
  become 
  very 
  common 
  : 
  

   I 
  have 
  counted 
  as 
  many 
  as 
  twelve 
  together, 
  disputing 
  over 
  

   sheep 
  and 
  cattle 
  oflFal 
  and 
  other 
  such-like 
  toothsome 
  morsels, 
  

   on 
  the 
  rubbish-heaps 
  in 
  Holket 
  Bay. 
  

  

  At 
  the 
  end 
  of 
  March 
  they 
  disappear, 
  and 
  do 
  not 
  return 
  

   again 
  until 
  the 
  cold 
  season 
  has 
  well 
  set 
  in. 
  I 
  do 
  not 
  think 
  

   that 
  any 
  of 
  them 
  breed 
  at 
  Aden 
  ; 
  but 
  the 
  adjacent 
  inacces- 
  

   sible 
  cliffs 
  offer 
  such 
  splendid 
  building-sites 
  that 
  I 
  should 
  

   not 
  be 
  surprised 
  to 
  learn 
  that 
  they 
  do 
  so, 
  since 
  the 
  cold 
  

   weather 
  is 
  the 
  season 
  that 
  Indian 
  Vultures 
  choose 
  lor 
  

   nesting. 
  

  

  One 
  caught 
  alive 
  was 
  taken 
  to 
  Mr. 
  Still, 
  of 
  Messrs. 
  Luke 
  

   Thomases 
  firm 
  at 
  Hedjuft'; 
  he 
  had 
  it 
  confined 
  in 
  a 
  large 
  

   portable 
  sheep-pen, 
  one 
  of 
  those 
  in 
  use 
  on 
  board 
  ship. 
  It 
  

   ate 
  greedily 
  all 
  suitable 
  food 
  offered 
  it, 
  but 
  remained 
  quite 
  

   fierce, 
  sullen, 
  and 
  untamable. 
  When 
  I 
  left 
  Aden 
  some 
  

   months 
  later 
  it 
  was 
  still 
  alive, 
  and 
  Mr. 
  Still 
  expressed 
  his 
  

  

  