IN JERDON OR STRAY FEATHERS. 325 



darker than in the adult. The down-patch on either side of the 

 crop-patch, and the downy covering of the upper half of the 

 tarsus, and the tibia, pure white. The striped appearance, above 

 described, extends to the wing-lining and ruff of linear lan- 

 ceolate feathers, at the base of the neck behind. 



The later secondaries are at all ages very long, and the wings 

 very broad. In the fresh bird, when the wings are closed, the 

 longest primaries are surpassed by the longest secondaries. — 

 Hume, " Rough Notes. 3 '' 



4 fo's.— Gyps pallescens, Hume. 



Length, 36'0 to 39'0; expanse, 85 to 90 ; wing, 23 to 25-5; 

 tail from vent, 10*0 to 11*0; tarsus, 3*5 to 4*0; bill from 

 gape. 2-65 to 2'95 ; weight, 11 to 14 lbs. 



Bill and cere pale greenish, yellowish horny on culmen and 

 blackish towards tips of mandibles ; bare skin of head and face 

 dusky ashy leaden ; legs and feet dingy ashy leaden ; margins 

 of scales whitish; claws creamy horny ; irides brown. 



In the perfect adult, brownish white hair-like feathers are 

 thinly sprinkled over the head, nape, cheeks, and throat ; the 

 upper half of the back and sides of the neck, and whole of the 

 front of the neck are excessively thinly studded with small star- 

 like tufts of down ; the lower half of the back and sides of 

 the neck are perfectly bare ; the crop patch is closely covered 

 with silky, tight fitting, dark hair-brown feathers ; the whole 

 of the rest of the lower surface is a pale whity brown, becoming 

 almost a pure white towards the vent and lower tail-coverts ; 

 the ruff is full, soft and pure white, of very downy feathers 

 the webs much disintegrated ; the whole mantle is pale earthy 

 brown, the centres of the lesser, and all but the tips and mar- 

 gins of the larger scapulars, being dark hair brown. 



The lower back, rump and upper tail-coverts white, tino-ed 

 with pale earthy brown, many of the feathers, however, espe- 

 cially of the longer tail-coverts, being brown at the base, but so 

 broadly tipped and margined with the paler colour that little 

 of the brown shows ; the primaries and tail-feathers are deep 

 chocolate brown ; the secondaries and tertiaries hair brown 

 more or less suffused, on their outer webs, with pale dingy 

 earthy or fulvous brown. 



A quite young bird has the top aud back of the head, and 

 upper part of the back of the neck, thickly covered with white 

 down ; the rest of the head and neck, as in the adult ; the 

 crop patch, much lighter than in the adult, is covered with pale 



42 



