358 JOURNAL, BOMBAY NATURAL HIST. SOCIETY, Vol. XXIV. 



a.— GYPS TENUIROSTRIS (Hodgson), THE HIMALt^YAN 

 LONGBILLED VULTURE, BREEDING NEAR AMBALA, PUNJAB. 



Last December I came across a pair of vultures quite new to me. They 

 were building their nest which was placed in the topmost fork of a Peepul 

 (Ficus religiosa) tree. Both birds were bringing sticks for the nest which at 

 this time was merely a broad platform. This was on December the 20th. 

 Five weeks later I again visited this locality and on approaching the tree 

 saw that the bird was sitting. Sending my man up, the sitting bird having 

 meanwhile departed, he, my man, announced an egg which I told him to 

 leave and get out of the tree as I was anxious to shoot the bird and so put 

 the identity of the egg beyond question. However, before he had time to 

 descend any distance I saw the bird returning (it was raining at the time) 

 and as it came within range I dropped her after which I ordered my man 

 to bring the egg down. This measures m.m. 83'3 by 67. It is a dull 

 greyish white and unmarked. In shape it is a broad oval. The texture of 

 the surface of the shell is much coarser than is exhibited in those I have of 

 Pseudogyps bengalensis, many of which were breeding in the surrounding 

 jungle, and at this time 24th January, had well grown young ones. 



I now made a close examination of the bird which was without any doubt 

 Gyps tenuirostris (Hodgson). 



The following points were particularly noted : (a) It had absolutely no 

 vestige of down on the head ; {b) Its length from tip of upper mandible to 

 end of tail was 38f inches ; (c) It had 13 retrices so that one was missing 

 (it fell 200 yards away lodging in a bush in dense dhak jungle, and my man 

 from his coign of advantage was able to direct me straight to it). The 

 missing feather may have been dislodged in the act of dragging it back to 

 the tree in which the nest was built, for I could find no trace of a stump. 

 Height of nest from ground, 44 feet. Materials : foundation of dead sticks 

 on which the true nest of boughs and twigs with the dried leaves still adher- 

 ing to them was built. The whole closely resembling the nursery of 

 P. bengalensis except that it was much more massive and the depression in 

 which the egg rested was much deeper. 



The following week I hunted up the country within a radius of five miles 

 but saw no more of this species. 



Simla, September 1915. A. E. JONES. 



No. XI.— KITE AND KINGFISHER. 



While I was fishing in the Sarju near Bageswar in the Almora district 

 one of the big pied hill kingfishers, Ceryle lugubris, came flying down the centre 

 of the stream about twelve feet above the water carrying a fair-sized fish. 

 A kite, Milvus govinda, wheeling near, saw it and made a sudden stoop at 

 it. While the kite was still several feet distant, the kingfisher dropped the 

 fish and flew on down stream. The kite made no attempt to catch the 

 fish before it fell into the water, but swung off and flew away on some other 

 quest. One often sees kites trying to rob each other, but this was the 

 only occasion on which I have seen one trying to rob a kingfisher. It 

 struck me as curious that the kite should attempt a manoeuvre which 

 apparently even when successful could bring no profit. Possibly the kite 

 calculated on getting closer to the kingfisher before the latter dropped the 

 fish. I have also wondered whether the kingfisher realised that it would 

 rid itself of the kite's pursuit, if it dropped the fish, or whether it dropped 

 it merely to lighten itself for quicker flight. 



- Mayo College, Ajmer, G. B. F. MUIR, i.c.s, 



\6th September 1915. 



