952 JUVUNAL, BOMBAY NATURAL HIST. SOCIETY, Vol. XXVIl. 



Gyps fulvus is common in these parts, but I have never come across their 

 nests. It is unusual, therefore, that G. tenuirostris, which is uncommon, should 

 be found breeding here. 



I must also record having observed a pair of Lapwings {Vanellus vulgaris) 

 at the South -West corner of the Chunar Tehsil, Mirzapur District, U. P., on the 

 16th December 1920. They were feeding on a small village tank, and though 

 I wanted very much to send the Society at least one of the skins, I must confess 

 to some extraordinarily bad shooting on my part. 



When touring on an extensive plateau of the Vindhyas, about fifty miles 

 South of Mirzapur, I came across the Indian Hobby {Falco severus) on two 

 occasions in November. Unfortunately I had no gun mth me on either occasion, 

 but the bright grey and red colouiing of the birds was too conspicuous to be 

 mistaken. 



Benabes, 

 Uih Janicary 1921. E. H. GILL. 



No. XVIII.— THE LAMMERGYER {GYPAETU8 BARBATU8) AND THE 

 GOLDEN EAGLE {AQUILA CHRYSAETUS). 



In the review of Blanford's Fauna of British India, which appeared in Vol. 

 X, pp. 507 to 524, and which I happened to look up the other day, I came across 

 the following with regard to the Lammergeyer : — " One comparatively res- 

 pectable habit is that of carrying up large bones and letting them fall from a 

 height in order to break them, and it is said in the Levant to treat tortoises in 

 the same manner." This the writer of the review, of course, quotes from the 

 Fauna of British India, and he then goes on to say, " As far as the present 

 writer has been able to observe, the carrying of anything in their claws is very un- 

 common with the vultures proper, at least in Western India But, at, 



any rate, they do not go carrjdng bits of coi'pses about, and drojjping them into 

 tea-cups and tumblers, as related to new-come visitors on Malabar Hill. 



" Mr. Blanford does not delate upon this matter, and Jerdon (Vol. 1, p. 6) 

 is very brief about it. But it has some interest in Bombay, where the " Yarn " 

 in question is as old as it is silly, and to some of our citizens, offensive. It'is a 

 very reasonable function of this Society to put a good big stone over it." 



The writer of the above is, of course, perfectly right in stating that the car- 

 rying of anything in their claws is very uncommon with the vultures proper, 

 but as the " yarn", in this case, originates with the Lammergeyer and his habit 

 of dropping bones from a height to break them, it would appear as though he is 

 included, and that a good big stone had also been placed over his curious habit. 

 If so, having been buried for tJie last 22 j^ears, exhumation might be resorted 

 to with advantage in the pages of the B. N. H. Society journal and the 

 " yarn ", so far as the Lammergeyer is concerned, brought to hfe. It is 

 no yarn but an absolute fact that the Lammergeyer takes up bones, in his daios, 

 and drops them from a height on to rocks to break them. This has been witnessed 

 over and over again by me, and many others besides. 



With regard to the Golden Eagle the writer of the review in question (top of 

 page 508) says : — " They were on the ground, near a village (where carrion 

 used to be thrown out), and allowed of approach to about 40 yards distance, 

 when they rose, and the light shot rattled vainly on their quills. The broad 

 white base and dark tip of the young bird's tail were then very distinct and the 

 mother's great size noticeable. These birds had been carefully examined with 

 a glass before going near them, and the young one's tail specially noted for 



