426 JOURNAL, BOMBAY NATURAL HIST. SOCIETY, Vol. XXV1ii 
Apparently a passage migrant and not common, Cumming obtained specimens 
at Fao on September 22nd, 1884, and September 23rd, 1886. These are in the 
British Museum. 
186. Osprey. Pandion haliaetus. 
Pandion haliaétus (L.) (Syst. Nat. Ed. x, 1, p. 91, 1758—Sweden). 
A winter visitor to the larger rivers and swamps of the plains where it is not 
very uncommon. Single birds are recorded on May 18th and July 5th but there 
isno evidence that it breeds in our area ; as elsewhere doubtless a few non-breed- 
ing birds spend the summer. It breeds on the island of Tanb in the Persian 
Gulf, though of course this is nowhere near Mesopotamia, 
Cheesman obtained one at Shaiba oasis, 8 miles from the nearest water, it had 
frequented a tall pole for roosting on for some time. Buxton got one at the 
Hamar lake on May 20th. 
187, Grifion Vulture. Gyps fulvus. 
Gyps fulvus fuluus (Habl.) (Neue Nerdische Beytr. iv, p. 58, 1783— 
Gilan, Prov. of Persia). 
A non-breeding visitor to the plains in small numbers and widely distributed. 
This is the big dark Vulture recorded by many observers ; small parties were 
generally met with feeding at some dead animal, or roosting on the tops of palm 
trees. It probably breeds in the hills of Kurdistan and may do so in the Jebel 
Uamrin; Logan Home thought it might even breed in the cliffs of Tekrit but, we 
have no definite evidence of it. Zarudny says it is resident in the Zagros and 
breeds also in the Karun area. It appeared to be commoner in the parts nearer 
the foot hills, asin the Samarra-Tekrit area, than away in the plains lower 
down. It is recorded in most months of the year and probably some non- 
breeding birds spend the breeding season in the plains. 
Many were seen haunting the old battlefields round Azizieh and parties of 20 
to 50 are noted at other places attracted by dead animals, such as at veterinary 
dumps. 
Specimen examined : One skin: July 1917 Kanikin (P. A. B.) 
(Pitman on several occasions at Samarra and below Baghdad on the Tigris 
thought he saw monachus, the King Vulture, but further confirmation is advis- 
able, though it is likely to occur.) 
188. Lammergeier. Gypaetus barbatus. 
Magrath records that he saw an undoubted Lammergeier near Ali Gharbi on 
May 16th and remarks that the Jebel Hamrin range is but 20 miles from there, 
whence presumably the bird had come, or more probably from the Pusht-i-Kuh 
Mts. distant about 35 miles in direct flight. Weigold also records a straggler ati 
Urfa on April 20th, which must have wandered still further from its home. 
The race inhabiting Kurdistan is presumably grandis. 
189. Egyptian Vulture. Neophron percnopterus. 
Neophron percnopterus percnopterus (L.) (Syst. Nat. Ed. x, 1, p. 87, 
1785—( Egypt). 
It is somewhat surprising that Vultures should be so scarce in Mesopotamia 
considering the plentiful supply of dead animais there was during the war, and 
it would seem that no increased numbers were induced to visit the country on 
this account, quite the reverse to the experiences of earlier Afghan campaigns 
when species such as Pseudogyps bengalensis, not usually found in Afghanistan 
followed the armies hundreds of miles away from their normal habitat. 
