98 
EGYPTIAN NEOPHRON. 
tance, but could never be approached within gun- 
shot. The specimen procured at this time, which 
its owner kindly sent to Twizel House for the 
purpose of being introduced into the “ Illustra- 
tions of British Ornithology,” we then saw. It 
was in immature plumage, the dark feathers of 
the 3 T oung beautifully mixed with others of a rich 
cream-yellow. The colour of the naked skin on 
the head was of a livid flesh-coloured red, that of 
the legs of a pale yellowish grey. 
The adult birds have the plumage nearly of 
a uniform yellowish white or cream colour, 
excepting the quills, inner webs, and base of 
the secondaries ; the former are blackish, the 
latter liver brown, which, on the outer webs, 
gradually shades into the cream colour. The 
feathers on the hind head and neck, are lan- 
ceolate, very pointed and hackled, and appear 
to be occasionally raised when the bird is either 
under the impulse of fear or anger. The head, 
before the ears is bare of feathers, a few straggling 
hair-like tufls appearing on the chin, and mark- 
ing superciliary ridges and a circle around the 
ears. The skin, on these parts, in the adult 
birds is gamboge yellow ; but in the Somer- 
setshire specimen above alluded to, which we 
saw before it was dried, the colour was livid, 
this undergoes a change as the bird approaches 
its mature state. The length of specimens from 
Southern Africa, is two feet two or three inches. 
