474 ORNITHOLOGICAL SKETCHES 
In no part of Northern Spain did I see it; even in the 
wooded mountain valleys of the range of the Picos de Europa 
it does not appear to occur; and this is very surprising, for the 
extensive beech-woods of that region would afford it excellent 
nesting-places. 
In Portugal I saw in museums stuffed specimens which 
had been killed in that country, but there, too, it seems to be 
uncommon. In Spain it is undoubtedly most abundant in 
the neighbourhood of Madrid. 
The behaviour of this vulture at a carcass is very re- 
markable. Dealing heavy blows with its beak and wings it 
hops in among the Griffon Vultures when they are already 
greedily eating, drives them quickly apart, tears off a great 
piece of flesh, and goes off with it to a considerable distance, 
flapping along close to the ground. If there is but a single 
Cinereous among many Griffon Vultures, then the former, 
which is undeniably the nobler and less greedy bird, retains 
all its cautiousness and shyness, and seems to put no trust in 
its yellow-plumaged relatives ; for long after they have been 
comfortably feasting, it keeps examining the surroundings 
from some elevated position. If, however, several Cinereous 
Vultures come to a carcass at the same time, they are bolder, 
for each relies on the wariness of the others, and the Griffons 
get the worst share of the meal even when there are more 
of them. 
According to my idea the Spanish Cinereous Vulture is 
darker than our bird, the latter having a great deal of 
brownish black in its plumage, while the former seems to me 
to be as black as a Raven. In size they are pretty much 
alike, and I give for comparison the measurements of one 
Spanish and five Slavonian specimens. 
