The green parrots of the plains do not venture far up the slopes of the hills. The only species likely to be seen on the Nilgiris at elevations of 4000 feet and upwards is the blue-winged paroquet (_Palaeornis columboides_). This is distinguishable from the green parrots of the plains by having the head, neck, breast, and upper back dove-coloured. It has none of the aggressive habits of its brethren of the plains. It keeps mainly to dense forests. Jerdon describes its cry as "mellow, subdued, and agreeable." It is the prima donna of the Psittaci. Another member of the parrot family found on the Nilgiris is the Indian loriquet, or love-bird or pigmy parrot (_Loriculus vernalis_). This is a short-tailed bird about the size of a sparrow. It is grass green in colour, save for the red beak, a large crimson patch on the rump, and a small blue patch on the throat. This species does not obtrude itself on the observer. It is seen in cages more often than in a state of nature. It sleeps with the head hanging down after the manner of bats, hence Finn calls this pretty little bird the bat-parrot. THE STRIGIDAE OR OWL FAMILY Owls, like woodpeckers, do not patronise the Nilgiris very largely. The only owl that commonly makes itself heard on those mountains is the brown wood-owl (_Syrnium indrani_). This is the bird which perches on the roof of the house at night and calls _to-whoo_. Occasionally, especially round about Ootacamund, the grunting _ur-ur-ur-ur_ of the brown fish-owl (_Ketupa zeylonensis_) disturbs the silence of the night on the Nilgiris. THE VULTURIDAE OR VULTURE FAMILY Only four species of vulture occur on the hills of South India. One of these is the smaller white scavenger vulture (_Neophron ginginianus_), which is probably the ugliest bird in the world. Its plumage is dirty white, except the tips of the wings, which are black. The head is not bald, as is the case with most vultures; it is covered with projecting feathers that form an exceedingly bedraggled crest. The bill, the naked face, and the legs are yellow. This vulture is popularly known as the shawk or Pharaoh's chicken. Young scavenger vultures are sooty brown. The other three vultures common on the Nilgiris are the Pondicherry vulture (_Otogyps calvus_), the long-billed vulture (_Gyps indicus_), and the white-backed vulture (_Pseudogyps bengalensis_). The first is easily identified by means of its white waistcoat, a patch of white on the thighs, and large red wattles that hang down like the ears of a blood-hound. With the above exceptions the plumage is black. The long-billed vulture is of a uniform brown-grey colour. The white-backed vulture is a dark brown, almost black, bird, with a white back and a broad white band on the under surface of each wing, which is very noticeable when the bird is soaring high in the air on the watch for carrion. The two commonest vultures of the Nilgiris are the scavenger and the white-backed species.