186 A PRACTICAL HANDBOOK OF BRITISH BIRDS. 



wing-coverts a few with pale greyish inner webs or tips ; outer 

 webs of new inner primaries and secondaries paler grey than in 

 juvenile and tail-feathers grey-brown washed grey and with only 

 short buff tips. 



Second summer and third winter. — A few feathers of ruff greyish- 

 white or partially grey ; upper-parts and under-parts pale grey- 

 brown, feathers with creamy or whitish tips, scapulars especially 

 with considerable amount of grey wash, some greyish-white feathers 

 here and there on upper-parts, but more of these on under-parts 

 and wing-coverts ; tail paler grey-brown and more washed grey 

 than in first summer. 



Third summer and fourth winter. — -Mostly dull brownish-white 

 with a certain amount of pale brown especially at bases of feathers 

 and on scapulars and inner webs of tail-feathers, and shafts usually 

 darker brown ; greater wing-coverts mostly pale brown. 



Fourth summer and fifth winter. — -Like adult but grey-brown 

 on inner greater wing-coverts ; long scapulars sometimes pale 

 brownish-grey with dark shafts ; a few other feathers here and there 

 with some greyish-brown on shafts or webs. After this plumage 

 is moulted i.e. in fifth summer (five years old) bird appears to 

 become adult but sequence described above owing to small num- 

 ber of moulting specimens available must be considered as only 

 approximate. 



Measurements and structure. — <J wing 470-520 mm., tail 220-260, 

 tarsus 75-88, bill from cere 31-34 (14 measured). $ wing 460-510. 

 Primaries ; 2nd to 4th about equal and longest but one of them often 

 5-15 mm. longer than others, 1st 50-70 shorter, 5th 15-30 shorter, 

 6th 70-80 shorter ; 2nd to 6th emarginated outer and 1st to 5th 

 inner webs. Tail much rounded, wedge-shaped, 14 feathers, tips 

 rounded. About a quarter of tarsus feathered in front. Middle 

 toe much longer than others, claws strong, curved and fairly sharp. 

 Bill slender (cere thickened at base), upper mandible curved and 

 pointed, lower shorter and rounded. Nostrils bare, oval, horizontal. 



Soft parts. — Bill dark brownish-horn, tip black ; cere, bare 

 skin on head and breast yellow ; legs and feet greyish-white to pale 

 flesh or pale yellow ; iris brown to reddish-brown or dark orange. 



Characters and allied forms.— N. p. ginginianus (India) has 

 rather smaller bill, legs and feet and yellow bill. Bare head, ruff, 

 wedge-shaped tail and black and white colour distinguish species. 



.A. 



jm 



The Egyptian Vulture (N. percnopterus). 



Appearance of adult in flight ; Left-hand figure from below ; Eight-hand figure from above. 



(From a diagrammatic sketch by H. M. Wallis.) 



