EGYPTIAN BIRDS 3 
this is typical of all the falcons, and gives a 
characteristic attitude in its rushing downward 
swoop. The head is blunt and sunk into the 
shoulders, the wings are stiff, rigid, pointed and 
powerful, the tail straight and firm. 
Nos. 4 and 5 are Vultures shown flying farther 
away from the spéctator’s eye, and consequently on 
a smaller scale. The black and white of the adult 
Egyptian Vulture, No. 4, is such a distinctive 
characteristic that recognition is easy, but in the 
case of the young bird the plumage is dirty brown 
and grey with faint dark streaks on it, and at that 
stage might be confused with Griffon Vultures, if 
it were not for its smaller size. In flying, the way 
it tucks its head in so that only its bill seems 
visible, and the very small tail in proportion to 
the wing area, are the outstanding peculiarities of 
this, and indeed all Vultures. 
No. 5 shows a distant group of Griffons, purposely 
placed at a distance, as on the small space of a page, 
if they were brought as near the eye as the other 
birds, they would completely cover the whole space, 
for they have an enormous span of wing. Note 
how small the tail is, and how the head is practi- 
cally invisible. 
Nos. 6 and 7 are of different orders of birds 
