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noble Gypaete from its feast, only a few yards from us, on the vast open plain which extends 

 from the forests of Gilead to the Hauran. We only ascertained three breeding-places, in none 

 of which were we successful in obtaining its eggs — the first in the ravine of the Jabbok under 

 Mount Gilead, and the others in the Wady Hamam, or Pigeon ravine, and the Wady Leimun, 

 both opening on the plain of Gennesaret. In both of these latter localities were colonies of 

 hundreds of Griffons. Dr. Jerdon states that in India it lays its eggs in April and May ; but we 

 found it in the Atlas sitting in February, and in Palestine it had hatched its young in March. 

 Those birds which we had an opportunity of examining more closely had the ochreous colour on 

 the lower parts developed with remarkable intensity. I do not know a greater treat for the 

 ornithologist than to watch a pair of Lammergeyers, in the Wady Hamam in the early morning, 

 commencing their matutinal exercise by sailing close to the ground down the ravine, beneath 

 cliffs 2000 feet high, and then gently steering by their tails, without any apparent motion of the 

 outspread wings, one after the other across the mouth of the gorge, and reconnoitering leisurely 

 as they retraced their flight on the opposite side at a little higher elevation. Soon they would 

 beat down the other side, and after working carefully the whole face of the cliffs, would gradually 

 rise above the valley in circling flights till they were lost to our eyes in the aerial distance above." 



The Bearded Vulture of North-eastern Africa is a distinct species, G. meridionalis, Bon. ( G. 

 nudipes, Br.), easily distinguishable by having the lower part of the tarsus bare ; and the only part 

 of Africa where the present species is with certainty known to occur is the Atlas range. Mr. 

 Osbert Salvin has published some excellent notes regarding its occurrence in that part of Africa, 

 as follows : — " The first opportunity I had of observing this finest of birds was in the neighbour- 

 hood of Souk Harras in the first week in April. In a ramble in search of a spot for our 

 encampment, we discovered an eyry in one of the stupendous cliffs that characterize that 

 district. It was quite inaccessible; and we had to bear our disappointment, as well as a good 

 wetting, and return to the hotel (if the house where we put up may be designated by such a title) 

 after an almost fruitless day. We were not then aware that the eggs of this species had long 

 been hatched. On encamping at Djebel Dekma on the 4th of April, more frequent oppor- 

 tunities were afforded us of becoming acquainted with this bird. This mass of precipitous rocks 

 is one of the most interesting and curious in the country. The strata form an angle of about 

 20° with the vertical, and, dipping towards the north, present a comparatively flat face, with 

 bushes and shrubs growing out of the interstices. The southern cliff is more broken, and the 

 strata much more horizontal. Towards the east the two parallel precipices are terminated by 

 another broken precipice, which cuts the first two at right angles. In the centre of this group, 

 and at its highest point, the whole mass is parted, leaving a rugged gorge running north and 

 south, having towering rocks on each side. The formation seemed to be almost entirely com- 

 posed of nummulite. In this range a pair of Lammergeyer had their eyry in the western side 

 of the gorge, just above a cave that pierces the strata. To this nest one of our Arab servants, 

 Mohamed, climbed and brought down a half-fledged young one, which, after living some few 

 days, came to an untimely end. 



" The range at Khifan M'sakta, our next camp, stretches south-west and north-east, and, 

 though hardly on so grand a scale as Djebel Dekma, is somewhat similar in its peculiar isolation, 

 the same feature of vertical strata presenting itself. A pair of Lammergeyer also occupied these 



