io8 
Vultures near Calcutta. 
nuiinirc in a factory erected for the purpose ; while those of dogs 
and cats are thrown away. It is upon these that the vultures 
feed. At the time of my visit there must have been between two 
and three hundred of these revolting birds — in fact there were 
so many that they could not all be got into the picture at once. 
In No. 1 photo the bird nearest the camera is a King or 
r^ondicherry Vulture, and another of this species is a little way 
behind it; but all the rest are what Jerdon calls the Brown Vul- 
ture, and Blandford the Indian White-backed Vulture (Pseiid<. 
gyps bengalensis) . 
Not far away from the vultures, Pariah Kites, one or two 
pairs of Brahminy Kites, Crows, and a single pair of Adjutant 
Storks were to be seen. 
[The above notes have been extracted from a personal 'etter dated 
February 8th, 1918.— Ed.] 
^>^^ 
The Endurance of Birds. 
By Wesley T. Page, F.Z.S., etc. 
Continued from page dj. 
FRINGILLIDJE. Possibly it will add to the value of 
these notes if I interpolate a few general remarks re breeding of 
finches, and proceed similarly with the later groups. 
First I will remark that each aviarist must largely be his 
(or her) own " oracle " as to what species may be kept safelv 
together, as the individualism of pairs, of the same species, is so 
varied that no general rule can be laid down upon this important 
point. For instance a pair, say of Red-crested Cardinals, may 
have proved quite safe in the general aviary of an aviculturist 
or vice versa, but this is by no means conclusive, as another pair 
of the same species may behave exactly opposite in some other 
aviculturist's aviary, though the general character of both aviar- 
ies may be similar. What, then, can the tyro take as a guide ? 
Well, if there be a general consensus of opinion, either for amia- 
bilit or pugnacity, among the various aviculturist writers, then 
such may be taken as a guide and followed, but the tyro must 
