MISCELLANEOVS NOTES. 395 



put up ill the dak bungalow there on Friday, April 4th. The next day 

 I started at 9 a.m., with a Pathan named Shah Nur Khan, deputed by 

 Haji Nur Mahommed, for the vulture's nest. It was a long climb, and it 

 took me 4 hours to reach it. The nest was an enormous collection of 

 sticks on the top of a Juniper tree about 25 feet high, and was close up 

 under the highest crags of Zarghun Mountain, at an elevation of at least 

 10,500 feet, if not more. Wherever it was not too steep for snow to lie, 

 there was a foot of snow on the ground all round and the air was very fresh 

 and pure. Although I felt prettj^ sure that the bird was Vultur monachus, 

 I decided to shoot it, if possible, so as to make certain of its identity 

 beyond any doubt. As I approached the nest the bird flew off, and I, 

 misjudging the distance, failed to bring it down, though I saw that a 

 couple of its large wing feathers were broken by the shot. It was, however, 

 none the worse for this, as it swept across the valley, and then commenced 

 to soar in ever-widening circles till it had reached a point so far up in the 

 blue above us, that it appeared a mere speck in the sky. I sat down to 

 take a little refreshment after my climb, and for about 20 minutes the 

 vulture remained sailing about like an aeroplane at an immense height above 

 us. I saw that it had no intention of coming down, while we were in 

 view, so I sent Shah Xur Khan away, with orders to hide himself com- 

 pletely at some distance, while I hid myself at the very foot of the tree 

 on which the nest v/as, where I had complete cover. After waiting for 

 about an hour, I had the satisfaction of hearing the swish, swish, swish, 

 of the vulture's wings, as it flew up and settled on the nest. After 

 giving it a few minutes to settle down, I emerged cautiously from my 

 hiding-place, and as the bird flew off, had no difficulty in dropping it dead, 

 as it was quite close. It proved, beyond any doubt, to be Vultur monachus 

 and measured 8 feet 11 1 inches across the wings. I kept the wings, tail, 

 head and feet, for identification purposes, if required. The egg measured 

 3'63 inches by 2-75 inches and is dull white, thinly splashed with dark 

 chocolate brown, principally at its narrower end. On my way back to 

 the Urak bungalow I discovered a nest, in the course of construction of the 

 Eastern Rock Nuthatch (Sitta tephronota). These curious little birds were 

 very busy carrying large lumps of mud from the bed of the streams to the 

 nest, which 'they were building against the face of a large wall of rock. 



H. DELME-RADCLIFFE, Lt.-Col., 



K.W.F., F.Z.S. 

 QUETTA, BaLXJCHISTAK, 



lOth April 1913. 



No. XV.— VORACITY OF VULTURES IN THE GIR FOREST. 



In December last whilst travelling in the Gir with Mr. Boyd, Superinten- 

 dent of Police, we came across a buffalo freshly killed by lions near a Ness 

 or a buffalo camp : as it was half moon we decided to sit up and watch the 

 lions feed. As the surrounding trees were full of vultures the forest Guards 

 suggested our waiting till it was fairly dark, otherwise the vultures would 

 leave nothing for the lions ; two men were left to guard the kill and they 

 had to exert the utmost vigilance, to prevent it from being devoured, seve- 

 ral vultures being killed by sticks on the kill. When driven ofl' they did not 

 fly away but ran into the thick underbrush ; after dusk we sat up in 

 machans. When we were comfortably seated all vultures were driven out of 

 the neighbouring trees and the men went away. Soon after they had gone 

 hundreds of vultures ran out of the underbrush and in a few minutes the 

 kill was a seething mass of birds ; we whistled up the men who came up 

 23 



