40 
Birds of Gam bia 
by Mr. Sclater, except that the cere was a markedly paler yellow 
than the eye-patch and legs. i 
Serpenlarius gtinibiensis. SECRET AKV-BIRD. 
Range. Senegambia , Sudan to Shoa. (H.L.) 
The Secretary-Bird is said to vi it the Gambia in the rains, 
but, I have never seen one yet here. 
VULTURIDAE. 
Necrosyrtes monachus. COMMON VULTURE. 
Range. North-east and East Africa; Sudan; West Africa. 
(H.L.) 
These ever-lpresent ever-xeady scavengers are oommon 
everywhere. Each town and village has its resident flock-large 
or small, according to its size — of these almost domestic birds', which 
share the duties of scavengers with the Kites and native dogs, and 
it is but rarely that one can raise one's eye during the daylight 
hours without seeing some of these birds either sitting motionless 
but watchful on some neighbouring tree or else soaring high over- 
head. They nest in large trees, often inside the native towns, and 
in many places one sees Vultures, Pelicans, Wood-Ibis, and White<-| 
backed Crows all nesting in company and harmony on one tree. 
Only one large white egg is laid. 
Their general colour is dirty blackish brown, darker on 
the wings and tail, and paler — to dirty and white on the belly — 
below. The head and neck (the latter dilatable in front to form 
a pouch) are bare excep't for a sparse sprinkling of down; the 
bare skin is norraaViy a dirty flesh-colour, but becomes a livid 
red at times, .when the bird is much exicited or its attention par- 
ticularly aroused. The beak and legs are dirty pink. In many 
the plumage is much lighter all over and some are marked with 
large irregular patches almost white in colour. The natives often 
call such birds " Leper-Vultures," and well they merit the name, 
for they are even more repulsive in appearance than their normally 
colon red "b ro th e rs . 
The native names for all the Vultures are " Tan " in Joloff 
and " Doo-o " in Mandingo ; in the latter language there are also 
special names for this species and for our large brown Vulture 
(Gyps),—" Suntkuntu-Doo-oo " for the first, " Jambokatang- 
Doo-o " for the second. 
The Vultures' well known useful functions and habits ensure 
their freedom from mi> cstation at the hands of man, and they ai'e 
therefore always ab: o utely tame and fearless. Among the natives 
tradition and cust/om protect them, while British law holds the 
penalty of a possible £25 fine, or six months hard, over the head 
of any would-be Vulture.- slayer. 
Besides the Common Vulture we have three other less com- 
mon species; they are (1) our largest Vulture, a brown bird, at 
least 40 inches in length, with an abundant neck-ruff'. These are 
quite common, in some places indeed they are very nearly as 
