Aden and the Neighbourhood. 13 
have taken notes o£ the birds seen in the neighbourhood, 
their dates of occurrence, &c., and have tried to identify 
them; but as my books of reference have only been Jerdon’s 
f Birds of India/ Blanforfs f Geology and Zoology of Abys¬ 
sinia/ and Yon der Deckers f Travels in Somali Land, &c/ 
the identifications are in some cases conjectural. 
[Major Yerbury has sent a small collection of these birds to 
the British Museum, which I have identified, and to the species 
so determined I have attached a dagger (t). The collection 
sent to Mr. Hume has unfortunately been mislaid, and neither 
he nor I could find it at Simla. When found, Mr. Hume 
will send the skins to the British Museum, and, if further 
questions arise as to their identification, I will send a note 
to a future number of f The Ibis/—B. B. S.] 
1. Egyptian Vulture. [Neophron percnopterus.) 
This bird is a resident with us all the year round, and 
breeds in the high cliffs near the Main Pass gate and at two 
or three other places on the Shum-shum range, forming large 
colonies. It is found generally throughout the neighbour¬ 
hood of Aden. 
Besides this Vulture, I believe two other species are to be 
found in the neighbourhood. The first I have always taken 
for an immature specimen of N. per cnopterus . It is of 
about the same size, but instead of being white with black 
wings, it is of a dirty mottled brown. 
The other is only seen inland, near A1 Hautah (Lahej), and 
is a very large bird, the back appearing to be of alight colour 
(grey) as compared with the dark brown of the head and 
wings. 
2. Kestrel. (Cerchneis , sp. inc.) 
The Kestrel is, I believe, a resident in Aden proper. I 
found a pair, apparently breeding, in the high cliffs above 
the Mahilla plain. 
I fancy that two or three other birds of prey remain with 
us all the year round. One is apparently a Sparrow-Hawk 
(.Accipiter ). The others I have been' unable to make out. 
