BIRDS OF PREY. 77 



plumage. As respects the latter, only the upper part of the body resembles that of other Vultures, 

 the lower portion being covered with thick, long, greyish down, interspersed with a few long, narrow, 

 sabre-shaped feathers. The legs are covered either with a similar, but longer and reddish yellow 

 down, or with small feathers of the usual description. The head, back of the neck, and entire front 

 of the throat are bare, and the chin is overspread with hair-like feathers. A reddish brown of 

 various shades predominates in the coloration of the plumage ; the quills and feathers of the tail 

 have a dark, and those of the large wing-covers a light edge. Yellowish white feathers are often 

 intermixed with those upon the back and nape. The young are distinguished by the darker hue of 

 their plumage, and by the borders to the feathers on the lower part of the body being broader than in 

 the parent birds. The eye is dark brown, the beak grey at its sides, deeper in shade upon the culmen 

 and upon the lower mandible ; the feet are light grey, as are the bare parts of the neck : the naked 

 cheeks are violet. When the bird is excited these bare places become bright red. 



The Eared Vultures are found throughout Africa, and have occasionally visited Europe. In 

 Asia they are replaced by the Sukuni, or Bald Vulture {Otogyps calvus). In their habits they are 

 bold and social, and everywhere frequent the vicinity of man, coming down into the villages with the 

 utmost confidence, in order to gather up the refuse thrown from the slaughter-houses and dwellings. 

 With such extraordinary eagerness and voracity do these birds attack their prey, that (as Jerdon 

 witnessed) a party of Vultures devoured the body of a dead dog, and picked the bones completely 

 clean in the course of a few minutes. The toils of the day completed, they go in search of water, 

 and, after preening themselves, lie down to roll in the sand and bask in the sunshine; this per- 

 formance over they retire to their sleeping-place in a tree, where they perch bolt upright, with head 

 drawn in, and tail hanging loosely down, until a late hour in the following morning. So large an 

 amount of rest do these Vultures require, that they do not commence the duties of the day until 

 about ten o'clock, and seldom seek for food after about four or five in the afternoon ; and, so soundly 

 do they sleep, that upon one occasion we rode around the tree in which a large party was perched 

 without arousing them. A shot fired amongst them only had the effect of causing them to rise 

 drowsily into the air, and fly heavily to a distance of about five hundred paces, when they again 

 settled upon some branches to finish their interrupted slumbers. The flight of these birds is very 

 graceful, and particularly quiet and easy. When about to descend they open their wings, stretch out 

 their feet, and reach the ground in a direct line, without the slightest movement of their broad 

 pinions. The nests are built close to each other, upon a ledge of rock, and thus form a kind of 

 settlement, which is for the most part quite inaccessible, owing to the precipitous nature of the locality 

 usually selected; we have, however, made various successful attempts to reach them with the help 

 of a Hottentot guide, but found the stench from the eyries intolerable, and the surrounding rock 

 perilously slippery, being, as it were, polished by constant friction. The brood consists but of one 

 white egg, which is laid about October : the nestling, when first hatched, is covered with white down, 

 and is not fully fledged until the month of January. The Eared Vulture thrives in captivity, and can 

 easily be rendered very tame. 



The RAVEN VULTURES {Cat/tarta:), a group of much smaller birds than those above 

 described, are recognisable by their long beaks, pointed wings, and slender tarsi; their heads are 

 either wholly or partially bare, and in some species covered with waits. The members of this 

 group, as their name suggests, in many respects resemble the Ravens, and may be regarded as 

 replacing those birds throughout South America, whilst such as are found in Africa and India 

 associate freely with Crows, and lead a very similar life. The nest is usually built upon rocks or 

 trees, and the brood consists of one, or at most of two eggs. 



