VULTURES. 253 



specimen having been found poisoned in the winter of 1887. This was a female 

 which had been known to haunt the Bietsch Horn for some twenty-five years pre- 

 viously, its mate having been killed in 18G2. It is stated, however, that a single 

 bird was seen in Switzerland in 1888. In the Italian Alps the lammergeier is still 

 met with, while in Spain and the Caucasus it is abundant. In the Himalaya these 

 splendid birds may be seen in numbers during the spring in the outer ranges, 

 especially in the neighbourhood of the hill-station of Mari, but in the summer they 

 migrate northwards to Kashmir, Baltistan, Ladak, etc. Usually a shy bird, in the 

 neighbourhood of Abbotabad the lammergeiers became quite accustomed to the 

 shooting on a rifle-range, and would approach close to the men. When driven 

 down by cold and bad weather they will often collect in numbers round the 

 military hill-camps to feed on the ofFal. Circumstantial stories of attacks by 

 Alpine lammergeiers on children will be found in many works; but, as Mr. H. 

 Saunders remarks, those who have examined the weak feet of those birds will form 

 their own opinion as to their credibility. With regard to their alleged depredations 

 on flocks, an anonymous observer writes in the Asian that " I never heard of the 

 Himalayan lammergeier attacking anything, and in Kashmir have often watched 

 them passing over flocks of goats, on one occasion close over some female ibex with 

 kids. Also in Dagshai I frequently observed them sail round within a few yards of 

 fowls and tame pigeons, but never saw them attempt a raid on any living thing, 

 always contenting themselves with bones thrown out after the soldiers' dinners, or 

 with offal from the slaughter-houses." Mr. K. Thompson also had a similar experi- 

 ence in the Himalaya, mentioning, that although these birds never molested the 

 fowls and pigeons picketed as lures for hawks, they would always come down to a 

 carcase or a heap of bones. The lammergeier seems mdeed to be specially partial 

 to bones, which it will sometimes drop from a great height on to rocks in order to 

 smash them ; while in Algeria it is stated to do the same with tortoises. In Spain 

 these birds are commonly known by the name of bone - smasher ; and there is 

 little doubt that the " ossifrage " of Scripture refers to this bird. All these traits 

 of character strongly confirm the view that the lammergeier is a vulture rather 

 than an eagle; and Mr. Hume considers that its general habits and gait, more 

 especially its manner of walking and holding its tail when feeding on the ground, 

 ally it to the scavenger-vultures. In the Himalaya the lammergeier breeds from 

 November to February, selecting almost inaccessible ledges for the construction of 

 its nest, at elevations of five thousand feet and upwards. Mr. Thompson states 

 that " the nest, a huge platform, some four or five feet in diameter, is constructed 

 of small sticks and tliick twigs, placed so as to form a footing for the young, and 

 is lined with pieces of cloth, rags, etc." There is usually, both in the Himalaya 

 and the Atlas, but a single egg to a nest ; although, rarely, a pair may be met 

 Avith. The eggs are oval, and rather small for the size of the bird, with their 

 external surface dull and chalky, of a bufl" ground-colour, often clouded with darker 

 markings. The young bird has been known to remain in the nest for upwards 

 of four months. 



— ^€inereous The typical representative of the true vultures, and the only 



Vulture. living member of its genus, is the common cinereous or black vulture 



{Vidtur monachus), of wliich figures are given in the accompanying Plate, which 



