12 BRITISH BIRDS. 



the Bristol Channel, as recorded by YarrcU &c. in 1825. It is quite 

 possible that it has more frequently visited our shores, though not captured. 

 Mr. Laver, of this town (Colchester), informs me that many years ago his 

 fathei', who lived near Burnham, further up the Essex coast than Peldon, 

 had a flock of Vultures for several days among the large trees on his farm. 

 They were known by their bare heads, and were most probably the Egyp- 

 tian Vulture." Both the birds above mentioned were in the brown or 

 immature plumage. Such is all the recorded information respecting the 

 occurrence of the Egyptian Vulture in Great Britain. 



Its breeding-range may be said to be the mountainous portions of all 

 countries in the basin of the Mediterranean, the Caspian, and the Red 

 Seas. It also breeds in the Canaries, Madeira, and the Cape-Verd Islands. 

 Although a few birds may remain in certain of their breeding-haunts 

 throughout the winter, still the greater number migrate southwards down 

 the African coasts, and many probably into the interior of the continent, a 

 few straying as far south as the Cape colony. It is found throughout 

 Persia and Turkestan; but Severtzow did not meet with it in the Pamir, nor 

 is it recorded by Prjevalsky from Tibet or Mongolia. In India it is 

 replaced by Vultur gingmianus, said to differ in being slightly smaller in 

 size, in having the apical portion of the bill pure yellowish flesh-colour 

 instead of blackish, and in having the throat much barer of feathei's. In 

 its habits it is not known to difi'er from the western species, except that it 

 prefers trees to rocks for its nesting-place. There are only two other 

 species in this subgenus, both of which are conflned to Ai'rica and are 

 chocolate-brown in colour instead of white. 



The Egyptian Vulture is as common in Greece and Asia Minor as the 

 Griff'on Vulture ; but, unlike that bird, it is only a summer visitor to these 

 countries, arriving towards the end of March, and leaving about the middle 

 of September. It is consequently a much later breeder, the earliest eggs 

 being found in April. When I was in the Parnassus I took, or saw taken, 

 four nests of this interesting bird. Two of them, one on the 5th and the 

 other on the 8 th of May, were near Castri (the ancient Delphi) ; the third 

 ■was near Drachmana, on the 15th, and the fourth near Arachova, on the 

 18th. The Egyptian Vulture does not breed in colonies. It is less d fiB- 

 cnlt to please in the choice of a locality ; and the nests are generally acces- 

 sible to a good climber without a rope; consequently suitable sites may be 

 found in almost every valley of the Parnassus. The scenery of the Par- 

 nassus is very similar to the mountain-limestone districts of Matlock and 

 Dovedale in Derbyshire, but of course on a much grander scale, rising to 

 eight thousand feet above the level of the sea. It may conveniently be 

 divided into four regions. The lower two thousand feet is covered with 

 rocks, olives, and vines, occasionally varied with fields of Indian corn, 

 cotton, and tobacco. Then follow two thousand feet which was once an 



