Gyps VULTURES AND LAMMERGEYER 1. The Vultures of India have been distributed into five genera, four of which are represented by a single species and one by three. Two of these last, the Fulvus and the Himalayensis, look very much alike in the field and appear to be members of a single species as the colour of the plumage in both is variable in shades of fulvous, fulvous-brown and fawn. We have, therefore, six readily distinguishable species of Vulture, and including the Lammergeyer, seven. The following statement shows the genera, the species, their size, and common English and Sanskrit names: GENUS SPECIES SIZE SKT. NAME. Aegypius Monachus 42" काल or श्याव ENG. NAME Sarcogyps 51 Calvus 32* i. Fulvus &) 41"-47" Cinereous Vulture Black V. कुण्डली or रक्ताङ्ग सुमुख or उद्दीपक- गृध Griffon पाण्डर गृध Long billed V. शकुन गुप White-backed fafacer qu Himalayensis) ii. Indicus 38" Pseudogyps Bengalensis 35" Neophron Perenopterus 24"-26" Gypaetus Barbatus. 48" 2. The Bearded Vulture, with a fully feathered head and neck, occupies an intermediate position between the Vultures proper and the true Eagles but has been placed with the latter in the F. B. I. There is reason to believe that the ancient Indians also regarded him both as a Vulture and an Eagle. Later on, however, his affinity with the Neophron (भासक) was recognized under the names भास and महागुष्य, and he is there- fore included in this Article. The term , now a common name for all Vultures, originally applic1 to all birds of prey including the Eagles as is clear from its use in "atan"-RV. 9.96,6, and has been so used in classical literature as well. Thus the snake-lifting qur: of urgarafa, ch. 5 can only be the Serpent Eagles while in बृहत्कथामञ्जरी, 15.212 and प्रबोधचन्द्रोदय, V. White Scaven ger V. Bearded V. भासक, शकुन्त or गोष्ठ कुक्कुट भास, अलज, आज-गृ 189 Vultures and Lammergeyer 4.3 गृध and गृधी mean the Common Kite. धन्वन्तरि indeed defines the Kite as a t. Similarly the term wf also in the sense of a large bird' is occasionally used for a Vulture, e.g. in: "कार्यहेतोरिवायातः शकुनिर्वीयवान् महान् गृध्रराजस्य सोदर्यः सम्पातिर्नाम गृधराटू" रामायण, 5.35,62. 3. All birds of prey are mythologically descended from a common ancestor by different Bird-mothers like wret, st, vat, etc. which shows. their close affinity and yet separates them into subfamilies: “श्येनी श्येनांस्तथा भासी भासान्, गृध्रांत्र गृध्यपि " विष्णुपुराण, 1.21.16. The ancients were expert bow-men and had ample opportunities of studying and gaining knowledge about these and other large birds which they often killed for their quills with which to feather their arrows. The story of prince we is an instance in point : "तस्य छित्त्वा ततः पक्षी गृहीत्वा राजनन्दनः • बाणपक्षान्विधातुं च सोमदत्तो गृहं ययौ" वराहपुराण, 137, 74-77. The describes seven sages or singers as seven Eagles and mentions an equal number of Vultures; “सप्तसुपर्णा कवयः.... सप्तगृधा इति शुश्रुमा वयम्" AV. 8.9, 17-18, and curiously enough six species of true Eagles and roughly, six of Vultures occur in North India, and with the Bearded Vulture included in each group we have seven of each kind as stated above. 4. Vultures appear to have been divided into three groups, viz., (i) गुध, (ii) पाण्डर and (iii) भास, as the following verse from विष्णुधर्मोत्तर quoted in under fe and would show : "कङ्कः गृधः कपोतच उलूक: श्येन एव च गृहे यस्य पतन्त्येते गेहं तस्य विपद्यते ।" The name (i) u would seem to be confined to birds of a dark or brown colour (cf the synonyms धूम्रपना and गृपवा- "गृ इव धूम्रवर्णं पत्नमस्याः" शब्दकल्पद्रुमं; and Kalidasa's description of this darker group of carrion birds-q- " in Raghuvamsa, 15, 16); (ii) to those of a lighter colour; and (iii) w to still lighter or almost white ones. Next we have names for the seven individual species falling within these three groups and they are considered below. (1) The Cinereous Vulture (48") is a bird of immense size and of a uniform dark-brown colour with the neck naked. He is known as f
