The aegis & intelligencer. [volume] (Bel Air, Md.) 1864-1923, 1898-10-14
TIE EGIS ANDNTIIILlGENCER.
BEL AIR. ND, ocToBsR u, 1898.
VULTUREs OF INDIA.
GIANT BIRDS WHICH ARE NUMEROUS
AND USEFUL.

When the King NuIture Comes to a
Carcass, the other Varieties Have
to stand or Until His Majesty Hns
GorGcd Himself.
If the city of Bombay had tutelary
bird, there is no manner of doubt what
bird that should be. l do not know,
says writer in The Times of India,
why the ancient Egyptian deiied the
ibis. but If Bombay bore the proud fig
IRE of Il vuiture rampant on her shield
everybody would know why. OF all the
unsaIaried public servants who have
identified themselves with this city and
devoted their energies to its welfare no
other can take place beside the vul-
tire. Unfortunately the vulture has
never lent itself to the spirit of her
ildrv. The eagle has, strangely enough,
though the difference between the two
has never been very we'll marked IN the
popular mind. The translatOrs of Our
Bible had 10 notion of ii.
Modern natural history has olsen
tangled the two names and assigned
them to two very different families OF
birds. the distinction between which i'll
its essence is just thiS-that while the
eagle kills its prey the less impatient
vulture waits decently till its time
comes to die. Popular sentiment persists
i'll regarding the former as the more
noble, but there can be no question
which is the more useful.
1t is not easy indeed to realize to one
self the extent and hcneficenCe of the
work carried on throughout the length
and breadth of India from years end to
years end by the mighty race Of vul-
lures The writer continues: The vul
lures that one sees il such numbers on
Malabar hill belong to two species,
which are easy enough to distinguish
hen once ones attention bias been
turned TO the difference betNgeeN them.
The commoncr of the two, the white
backed or Bengal vulture (Gyps benga
lcnsis) is u smoky black bird, with II
band of white extending the whole
ICugth Of the wings on tho uudCrsido.
This band is broken by thc'dark body,
and that serves to distinguish the bird
ut glance.
The other species is the long billed
vulture (Gyps Pallescens) of Barnes.
.Terdon COMPOUNDED it with another spe
cies. Its general color is brown, darker
or Lighter according to age, sometimes
almost Witty brown; but, however
white the underp"rts may be, body and
wings are alike. The two species are
IL.
would suspect who has only seen them
at a distance. \ good|specimen will
measure over seven feet from tip to tip
of the wings.
There is one curious difference in
their habits. The long billed vulture
breeds always on high cliffs, while its
Bengal brother is content 10 build its
nest OH any tree big enough to bear the
weight Of such ponderous edifice. |
have seen q single mango tree groaning
under the weight of two or three nests
Oh the other side of the harbor Each
nest contains one egg, generally white,
but sometimes blotched with brown.
Once fairly in the air, no bird surpasses
the majesty of its flight. The question
has often been hotiy discussed whether
birds can sail without Tapping their
wings.
The difficulty originated of course,
with somebody of that unfortunate class
who must reason about il question OF
fact instead of looking. He demonstrate
ed that such a feat was impossible. The
vultures kept on doing it all the same,
and any one may watch them. For
hours together they will sail in circles,
or rather in spirals, without the slight
csl lotion of their wings beyond trim
ming them to the wind like the sails of
IA boat. OF course there must be Il wind.
There are two other kinds of vultules
which may occasionally be seen i'll Bonn
bay. Ono is the king vulture (Otogyps
calvus). royal bird, not indeed larger
than the others, but of nobler aspect and
prouder character. 1t appears singly or
with its mate and will not consort with
the herd. When it comes TO a carcass,
the others have TO stand by until it has
lined There is no difficulty in recog-
niz!ng this species by its deep black col
or, relieved only by two pure white
JdNN3INS OIi llo Thighs anu ny liIS biNOb
red tint Of its bare head and neck. Our
fourth vultUre is the foul bird known as
Pharaoh's chicken, as well as by other
less reputable names. Its title in scence
is Neophron ginginianus.
1t is one of the commOnest birds
about Poonah and everywhere on the
plains of the Deccan, but seldom visits
the coast. have, however, seen a pair
on more than one occasion about the
flats it is white bird not much big
ger than kite, with only the quill
feathers of the wing black. Its bill is
long and thin, its naked face yellow and
its tail wedge shaped. Its neck is not
bare, but clothed with long, rusty white
feathers, pointing backward. 1t does
not stand upright, like the true vultures,
but carries its body like Il duck and
walks like a recruit. By these signs
you may know Pharaoh's chicken. 1t
makes its shabby nest of sticks, rags and
rubbish on trees, lodges of public build
ings Or anywhere about March and lays
two white eggs, more or less blotched
with brown