~ SOCIABLE VULTURE. 



Specific Characters. — Head thick, rounded; cutaneous folds below 

 the auditory opening in the adults; legs covered only with down; 

 the internal toe equal nearly to half the middle. Length four 

 feet and upwards. — Degland. 



This bird is placed among those of Europe by M. 

 Temminck, and after him by Schlegel and Degland. 

 In deference to such high authorities, I introduce it 

 into this work. Serious doubts have, however, been 

 raised against the position thus assigned to it by these 

 eminent naturalists. 



M. Temminck states that it occurs in Greece, particu- 

 larly in the neighbourhood of Athens. M. Le Comte 

 Von Der Miihle, the author of a work upon the birds 

 observed by him during a five years residence in Greece, 

 says, however, that he never observed it there, and he 

 expresses an opinion that the skins which have been 

 received from that country, have really been obtained 

 in Egypt. Lindermayer also observes that he has not 

 found it in Greece. Bonaparte leaves it out of the 

 European list, and Dr. Ruppell seems to think the 

 species as European is purely nominal. On the other 

 hand, M. Crespon, the author of "La Faune Meridionale 

 de la France," has introduced it into his list, on the 

 authority of M. Barthelemy, Curator of the Museum of 

 Marseilles, who asserts that the specimen in that estab- 

 lishment was killed in the mountains of Provence. From 

 some valuable notes upon the raptorial birds, with which 

 I have been kindly favoured by J. H. Gurney, Esq., 

 of Catton, Norfolk, whose great knowledge of this 

 section of ornithology is well known, and I may add 

 equally well illustrated in his magnificent collection in 

 the Norwich Museum, I extract the following:—* 



"I hold this species to be identical with V. nubicus 

 of Smith, and V. eegyptius of Temminck. I believe 



