THE BLACK VULTUEE. 
171 
Genus OTOGYPS, Gray. 
550. OTOGYPS CALVUS* 
THE BLACK VULTUEE. 
Vultur calvus, Scop. Del. Faun, et Flor. Insub. ii. p. 85 ; Hume, Hough Notes, i. 
p. 8 ; Bl. B. Burm. p. 64, Otogyps calvus, Jerd. B. Ind. i. p. 7 ; Hume, Nests 
and Eggs, p. 1 ; id. S. F. iii. p. 18; Sharpe, Cat. Birds B. Mus. i. p. 14 ; Hume ^ 
l>av. S. F. vi. p. 1 ; Hume, S. F. viii. p. 81 ; Scully, S. F. yiii. p. 217 5 Bingham, 
S. F. ix. p. 142 ; Oates, S. F. x. p. 177 ; Kelham, Ibis, 1881, p. 364. 
Description. — Male and female. General aspect of plumage black; head 
and neck naked ; a few small plumes on the head and round the ears ; 
plumes on the lower neck black_, below which is a crescentic patch of 
white down occupying the upper part of the breast ; a large patch on each 
flank pure white ; inner side of thighs naked. 
Bill dark brown ; cere^ base of bill and the head red j legs china-white ; 
claws black ; iris yellow. In some the iris appears to be reddish brown. 
Length 31 inches, tail 10*2, wing 24, tarsus 4*8, bill from gape 2*75. 
The female appears to be of much the same size. 
The Black Vulture is found sparingly over the whole Province. 
It extends into Siam and Cochin China, and down the Malay peninsula 
as far at least as Perak, where Lieut. Kelham observed it. It is found in 
the Indo-Burmese countries and over the greater part of the Indian 
peninsula. 
This fine Vulture is generally seen in couples associating with other 
Vultures, and, by virtue of their superior strength, appropriating the best 
food. It breeds in the early part of the year, making a large stick nest on 
large trees, frequently at no great height from the ground. It lays a 
single egg, which is usually unmarked pale greenish white. I once found 
in March the nest of a Vulture which I at the time considered to be this 
species ; it contained one young bird, and was built in the celebrated old 
banyan tree near Pegu, in the roots of which the large image of Guadama 
is imbedded. The parent birds were not about, and I can only conjecture 
that the nest belonged to the present species. 
