Australian Birds in the Collection of the Linnean Society. 177 
travel out of the line of our duty,-—while investigating a collec- 
tion, which has already received, and which it is expected will 
continue to receive, so much benefit from Mr. MacLeay,—when 
we express our sincere wishes for a successful accomplishment 
of the objects of his mission, and a happy return to his country 
and this Society. 
Ordo L RAPTORES. Zi. 
' Fam. VuLTURIDEX. 
_ The first order which meets our attention, as the first division 
of the T'ypical Group in Ornithology, is the Raptorial Order, or 
the Birds of Prey. Of these birds, again, the first subdivision 
that comes before us, as being the first department of the Typical 
Group of that order, is the family of Vulturide. Of this family 
the Society's collection possesses no specimen ; nor have we as 
yet seen any species of it from New Holland. Dr. Latham, how- 
ever, describes two species as natives of that country: but we 
have much doubt sepe they will be found to appertain to the 
Vultures. One of these, his New Holland Vulture, seems to have 
a weak, straight, and elongated bill, with long and slender tarsi ; 
and, as far at least as can be judged from a figure, bears a greater 
resemblance to a Wading Bird than to a Bird of Prey. The 
second species, the Vultur audax of the ** Index Ornithologicus,” 
which its distinguished author seems not to have described 
from his own observation, but from hearsay, as he states its size 
to be uncertain, does not appear to possess any characters in 
common with the Vultures, except a partial absence of feathers 
on the cheeks. From the account of its manners also, which are 
described às bold and courageous, so much so as to induce it to 
attack the natives themselves,—a circumstance, indeed, from 
whence it has derived its specific name,—we can scarcely feel 
inclined 
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