166 NOTES. 



region. It is extremely common in Calcutta, and occurs 

 throughout Bengal, in the Terai, &c. It always breeds on 

 trees. 



Gyps pallescens is altogether a paler bird ; it has the entire fore- 

 head, crown, and occiput densely clothed with brownish white 

 hair-like feathers, and the nape, and back, and sides of the 

 upper part of the neck completely clothed in white down. The 

 chin and throat are also thinly clothed with hair-like feathers. 



In Gyps indicus the entire head is quite bare, and there is 

 only a slight dotting of down on the neck. 



In pallescens the cere is horny bluish white, always very pale, 

 and the face a sort of pale leaden blue, while in indicus the cere 

 is nearly black, and the face dusky. The whole plumage of 

 indicus is much browner and darker than in pallescens. The 

 birds are both much of the same size, individuals of both 

 species, however, varying much. The wings varying from 22 to 

 25 and upwards, but perhaps the legs and feet of indicus are 

 larger, and they are certainly I think blacker. 



Another point has to be noted. The young of pallescens is a 

 precise miniature of the young of himalayensis, but I have met 

 with no corresponding stage in indicus. On this point, how- 

 ever, I must not lay too much stress, for I have closely examin- 

 ed thousands of pallescens, but comparatively few of indicus. 

 I am sending home a fine specimen of pallescens, which I shot 

 off its nest at Ajmere this year, and I dare say Mr. Gurney 

 will pronounce his verdict on this moot point. 



Mr. Brooks remarks in epist : — 



" I have a bird here I should like you to have — a skin of the 

 African Aquila ncevioides, one of Anderson's collections in 

 Damara Land. It will be more useful to you than to me. It 

 is a very typical bird. Did I ever tell you that I saw a number 

 of the North-African Wokhab at -Norwich in various plumages, 

 from whitey brown or brownish white like our bird, to uniform 

 brown, but the latter not so dark as a dark Indian Wokhab ? It is 

 a distinct bird from ours, though uncommonly close to it. 

 Ours is often finely speckled, something in the hastata style, 

 but more minute spots or light tip to feathers. This peculiarity 

 is not observable in the African bird. Again, ours is often a 

 piebald bird, almost, part of the body being very dark and part 

 light, but the other is of uniform tone." 



" Again in the whitey brown dress our bird inclines to a yellow- 

 ish tint, while the African one is more of a ruddy dull 

 whitish brown. Lastly, the dark brown is of a different tone 

 from a Wokhab, more reddish iu the brown or a richer brown. 



